Houseguest
by Takada Saiko
Summary: Two months after the battle of New York, Tony gets a surprise visit from Steve Rogers at his home in Malibu. Still uncertain exactly what brought him there in the first place, the two not-quite-friends find themselves in the middle of an increasingly dangerous mission to recover stolen alien tech.
1. The Surprise Visitor

**Chapter One: The Surprise Visitor**

It was all planned out. The reservations had been made, he'd had JARVIS set three alarms - including one that gave him a ten second warning that his systems would be shut down and all unsaved designs would be lost - to make sure that he was out of the workshop in time, and he was showered and ready with a few minutes to spare. He was not going to mess this up. He didn't dare mess this up.

Tony ran a hand back through his dark hair to smooth a few strands into place and pulled in a deep breath, going over everything again. Pep had had a five-thirty phone call with the Board in New York, but she'd promised to keep it under an hour when he'd told her their dinner reservations were set for seven. Just after six she'd have time to change and they'd drive to her favourite restaurant on the beach. It had to be perfect.

"_Miss Potts has arrived_," JARVIS announced as Tony snapped his watch into place. "_She is not alone_."

That stopped him in his tracks. "What do you mean not alone?" he demanded, but it was Pepper's voice from downstairs that answered him, not the AI.

"Tony? Are you upstairs?" He darted over to the hall just outside of his room that overlooked the living room below, hearing the telltale signs of Pepper's heels against the marble floor and her voice drifting up, even if it didn't sound like she was talking to him. "Tony didn't mention that you were coming into town."

The inventor slammed to a stop at the voice that answered her. "Uh… he didn't know," came Steve Roger's awkward answer. "He mentioned I should look him up if I was in Malibu and -"

"Hey, Cap. You forgot how phones work?" Tony popped off, starting down the stairs. "I mean, I know there've been some upgrades since '45, but it's still a pretty basic concept." Pepper shot him a withering look as he circled down and he flashed her a grin. "Not that you don't look great in a business suit, but that's not what you're wearing to Nobu, is it?"

"My dress is out in the car, but you had a guest lingering at the front door when I got here. It's like he was afraid to knock. Couldn't imagine why."

"I'm interrupting something, aren't I?" Steve managed, looking more awkward by the moment. Good. Maybe he'd slink right back out the door and they could get on with date night.

"We had dinner plans, but that's alright," Pepper answered and damn it if she weren't reacting to the lost puppy look Rogers seemed to be wearing like a pro. "I didn't get a chance to meet you while we were working on the tower's redesign."

"And you can meet him tomorrow," Tony cut in as he came to join them on the ground floor. "I mean, you're not flying out tonight, right, Cap? And we have reservations…."

"Because we've never canceled reservations before? It's fine. We'll go later. You have a friend in town."

Friend was a stretch, but there was no arguing with her when she was like this. Well, no winning the argument, at any rate. He'd thought that she might have caught on to the fact that this wasn't just another dinner, but if she'd had an inkling of an idea it had gone out the window the moment she had seen their spangliest Avenger standing on Tony's doorstep. Great. The best laid plans did tend to blow up more spectacularly than just winging it.

"I don't want to intrude," the blond tried and Tony didn't miss the brief look his girlfriend gave him.

"Too late for that," he answered with a forced smile and for a second he thought Pepper might smack him for it. Instead she just shot him a warning look that only a blind man could have misinterpreted.

"I think I have some clothes to change into upstairs. Do you have any food in the house? I can cook dinner or we can order in -"

"I have liquor," he offered and boy did he need some about then.

"Okay, but I'm something a little more substantial to go with it," Pepper answered, but at least she was smiling while rolling her eyes at him. "I'll have them deliver a pizza."

"Perfect," he managed as he watched her start for the stairs, her ponytail bouncing with each step and pulled her phone from her purse to call it in.

Tony turn an accusing glare on the taller man. "Please tell you've got a damn good reason for being here. Bad guys chasing you? Aliens back? Something that makes it worth it that you just crashed a night I've been planning for _weeks_."

"I'm sorry, Tony. I should've called."

"Yeah."

"I'll go."

"Oh no. She wants you to stay, so if you go now I'll get an earful about forcing you out." He tilted his head a little, studying the man that his father had spent decades searching for and his entire childhood talking about. He didn't look afraid or even worried. More embarrassed than anything, and Tony reached up to massage some of the tension from the bridge of his nose. "It's been two months since New York. Last I heard you took a motorcycle out and nobody's heard from you since. You drive clear across the country?"

"I did, actually."

"So what? Just need a place to crash when you hit the West Coast?"

"No, nothing like that. I'll get a motel or something. I just… I wanted to…."

"Pizza's on its way," Pepper called as she started back down the stairs, now dressed in a pair of jeans and one of Tony's AC/DC t-shirts. "Captain Rogers, you strike me as more of a beer than a wine man."

"That'd be great, thank you," he answered politely. "And _Steve_'s fine, Miss Potts."

"Then I'm going to insist on _Pepper_." Then she was gone again, descending downstairs to the wine cellar below Tony's workshop.

Tony turned back to Cap. "How'd you find me, anyway? My address isn't exactly listed."

"Nick Fury."

"But he couldn't give you my phone number? Weird."

He turned up the stairs towards the kitchen, motioning for the taller man to follow and he heard him snort in response. "I'm sorry. I should have called. I just assumed you'd be holed up in your lab or something. I didn't even know you had a girlfriend, much less one that you would be -"

Tony turned, quirking a dark eyebrow. "One that I'd be what, Cap?"

"That you'd… I just didn't realize you were… in a …"

"Uh huh. Keep going. You're doing great." He offered a shit-eating grin and chuckled. "It's fine. Keep your reasons for all I care. The night's planned events are a bust now so we might as well make some new ones."

He opened the fridge and reached in, grabbing two beers as he did and went back for a bowl of limes as an afterthought. Hey. They weren't working and apparently they had no place to be. The least he could do was furnish the great Captain America with a hangover for crashing his night. Tequila worked nicely for that.

"Where all have you been to see in the last couple of months?" Pepper called from the living room.

Tony pressed one of the bottles into Cap's hand and breezed past him, the other man following until they reached the base of the stairs and Tony split off towards the bar. "I just made my way across the US. I really didn't travel as a kid and while I saw a few cities with the Army I never really got to enjoy them."

"That sounds amazing. Neither of us have been on a real vacation in…. years. Tony, what are you looking for?"

"Tequila." He could practically feel her quirk a questioning eyebrow from the living room. He found what he was looking for and snagged the bottle and glasses, starting back out. "I mean, in our defense, last time we tried we got attacked."

"You did what?" Rogers asked cautiously.

"He wouldn't have been able to get to you if you hadn't decided you wanted to play race car driver."

Tony made a face. "Yeah, because him showing up at the expo didn't happen right after."

Pepper flashed him a playful smile. "But that wasn't on vacation." She turned back to their drop-in guest. "Sorry. You were saying?"

Cap was watching them like he was trying to decide if they'd lost their minds or if this was supposed to be normal for them. Tony was fine with letting him guess. As Pepper kept the conversation going he busied himself with three generous glasses of tequila, salting the rims and handing them out.

"Oh that's way too much," Pepper argues.

"It's fine. When's your first meeting?"

"Ten."

"It's fine. Cheers. To Cap's impromptu visit." He lifted his glass, flashing her his most innocent smile. He waited until the other two knocked against his, the clink echoing. He tilted it back and stuck a lime in his mouth. A shudder ran through him. Okay. Wow. It'd been a while since he'd done that.

They chatted, Rogers telling them where he'd been and what he'd seen. He'd gone down the East Coast first, cut across Louisiana into Texas, and then made his way to Southern California from there. He still wanted to make it up to Washington State and back around. Chicago was on his list, he knew. Minneapolis. Detroit. As long as there were no major catastrophes that had them all coming back together, he thought he had time. He didn't say anything about Tony's invitation that he'd extended to all of the Avengers. Not that any of them really had. It had been a stupid idea anyway. An expensive one too, with the living quarters that he'd designed for each of them. Ah well. At least he and Pepper had a place to stay when they were in New York.

Pepper leaned against him a little more as the conversation continued, her long day mixing with the alcohol, and Tony wrapped an arm around her on the couch. She nestled into his shoulder and he played with strands of strawberry blonde hair in a way he knew she liked. He lifted his newly refilled glass to his lips with his free hand. "Where's Peggy Carter these days?"

Tony couldn't miss the way that Cap stiffened at the question. "I'm not… why?"

"You guys were a thing, right?"

"How do you….? Is that in a file somewhere?"

Tony snorted louder than he meant to at that and mumbled apologies to his snoozing girlfriend before dark eyes flickered back up to meet blue. "I knew her when I was younger. Dad worked with he - on SHIELD, I guess, not that he ever told me that - and I met her a few times. Haven't seen her in years, but I thought…"

"She moved back to England," Rogers said softly. "That's what her file said anyway."

"Those things are always outta date. If you want I can track her down for you. Might be nice to say —"

"No."

The word was sharp enough that Tony stiffened at it. Cap winced. "Sorry. No, thank you. That's really not necessary."

"Okay then." The room went quiet and Tony shifted Pepper gently so that they'd both be a little more comfortable. She inched the rest of the way down so that her head rested on the couch next to him, freeing him up to move a little. He glanced over to the bottle that they'd already put a dent in that night and grabbed for it. If he was feeling the affects, surely Cap was. He hadn't been sure the man even drank until that night.

"Everyone's gone."

Tony pauses mid-reach. "Gone?"

"My whole unit. Your dad. Peggy's alive, but she has a family and I…. I'm just part of a past she moved on from."

Tony chewed on his lower lip before refilling his glass and leaning over to refill Rogers' as well. They were both going to need it. "So what are you doing here? I mean, I wasn't exactly your favourite of our little makeshift team of superheroes."

He watched blond brows draw together thoughtfully and he took a long sip from his glass. "Your dad took some getting used to. He was…. brash. Arrogant. Obnoxious. But when push came to shove he was there when you needed him. I wouldn't trust another pilot back in the war. I thought I saw….." His lips twitched downward. "I guess I missed him, but he's been gone for years now." Blue eyes finally flickered to meet brown. "You're here though."

And just like that Tony's mood plummeted. "Always nice to be a fill in for a dead man," he snapped quietly.

"That's not —"

Tony dragged in a breath and tilted the glass back. He couldn't feel his lips anymore. Scratch that. He couldn't feel his face. "Listen, I should get her upstairs to bed," he managed, motioning at the still-sleeping Pepper.

"Oh. Maybe I should get going then."

"Nah. I have like… six guest rooms. Pick one. There's a gym on this floor if you want. You saw where the kitchen is. Despite what Pep says, it's usually pretty well stocked. If you need to know where something is, just ask JARVIS. G'night."

"Tony, if I offended you somehow…."

"Why would I be offended, Cap? We're not friends. You were pals with my old man. I don't mind putting you up for the night."

He ignored the kicked puppy look the other man was giving him as he roused Pepper just enough to get her on her feet, teasing her the whole way about how the tables had turned and what a bad influence he'd been on her. She leaned into him as they made their way up the stairs to his bedroom and told him she loved him. Well. At least the night wasn't a total bust. That made it alright.

* * *

TBC

Notes: So begins another crazy story. One that I did not actually plan to write, mind you, but the boys wouldn't leave me alone until I did. I do love shoving them in a room together and making them play nice.

Next time: A hungover Tony gets news of a breakin at a Stark Industries facility.


	2. Uncertain Invitations

**Chapter Two: Uncertain Invitations **

Light flooded into the room and Tony loosed a loud and dramatic wail of disapproval, throwing the covers up over his head. Almost as quickly as he'd ducked under them, they were pulled back down and a far-too-awake Pepper Potts came into view. He turned to bury his face in his pillow. "Too bright. Turn it down," he mumbled.

"That would be the sun, Tony."

"Don't care. Turn down the sun."

"You know, I'd almost forgotten how absurd you are when you're hungover," Pepper teased and he turned to squint up at her.

"Come back to bed."

"I can't. I have a meeting and you have a houseguest that's been up for at least an hour." She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his temple.

Tony made a small, disgruntled sound at the statement before pulling her off balance and back into bed anyway. Pepper's reaction was loud, part startled shout and part laugh as she tumbled on top of him and he cringed. She shifted so that she was leaned over him and he was fairly sure she was more amused than annoyed. "Tony, I have a meeting at ten," she reminded him softly as he pulled her down into a kiss.

"Call in. You're the boss. You can do that."

"Playing your buffer between you and Steve is not a good reason to cancel a meeting with another Fortune 500 CEO that has taken months to line up. Sorry." She pressed another quick kiss to his lips and he let her go before her amusement took a turn into irritation.

He watched her straightened out her skirt suit and sunk back against his pillow. She looked over, a blush creeping to her cheeks. "What?"

"Just thinking about how lucky I am."

Her smile was soft. "I can't stay, Tony."

"I know. Love you."

"You too. JARVIS, don't let him go back to sleep."

"_As you wish, Miss Potts_."

Tony offered a glare in no particular direction. "We've gotta have a talk about your loyalties, buddy," he grumbled and Pepper's laugh followed her out.

* * *

Steve had never been too picky about his sleeping arrangements. He had found himself tucked away in a variety of places over the years. A bed, a cot, the floor, or even the ground outside when they were behind enemy lines during the war. He was fairly sure he'd never slept in a bed like the one in one of Stark's _six_ \- yeah, he'd confirmed the number that the inventor hadn't seemed entirely sure of the night before - guest bedrooms. If he were to hazard a guess, he'd bet the other five were just as comfy. It was everything he'd been able to do to get up with the sun, and even that hadn't been because the light had made it into the room. No, that would have been too normal. The computer system that Stark used in his suit - Jarvis, Steve thought he'd called it… him? He wasn't sure - had offered the option to set an alarm for him or allow him to sleep and Steve had chosen the alarm. Good thing too, because the large windows that had given him such a gorgeous view of the ocean the night before had tinted with the rising sun.

The house had been fairly quiet for eight in the morning, though he supposed he really had no idea what kind of hours the other man kept. He'd done some light research on Tony Stark when he'd first been given files linked to his past and his name and photo had cropped up. One of the SHIELD agents that had been assigned to him to help him acclimate to the twenty-first century had shown him how to run a basic internet search and he'd instantly regretted it. Howard Stark's son had been just as wild as the man himself and had, perhaps, taken it a few steps further. Or maybe it was the fact that folks carried cameras and video recorders on them wherever they went now that left every graceless moment displayed for all the world to read about and watch. It hadn't left him overly confident when Fury had said he was bringing him in to retrieve the Tesseract, but Tony had certainly proven himself. It took a certain kind of man to be willing to make the sacrifice play like he had with the bomb. To make the play, and to come out alive. It was just the level of crazy that Steve remembered from Howard back in the war. It left him curious just how much the younger Stark had turned out like the elder and if maybe - just maybe - he'd find a friend there too.

Not that he'd conveyed that very well the night before. He'd stumbled all over his explanation, and Tony had taken it in some other way than what Steve had meant. He still wasn't sure exactly _how_ he'd taken it, but despite the protests it was clear that he'd offended the other man.

It was nearly nine-thirty by the time Tony finally made an appearance. Bleary-eyed and shuffling in a robe old enough it could have been his father's, he seemed to be following the noise of fists hitting the heavy bag. Steve wasn't entirely sure if he'd just walked in or had been standing there for a while by the time the inventor moved into his line of sight, drawing his attention, but he steadied the swinging bag and turned towards him. "Morning."

"How?"

"How what?"

"How are you not hungover? I get Pep. She had two drinks and was out, but you kept up with me. And I have a pretty good tolerance."

Steve finally cracked a smile at the utterly dumbfounded look the intelligent man was wearing. "The serum sped up my metabolism."

"So you process it faster," Tony sighed as if he'd missed the most obvious thing in the world. "Right."

"I actually can't get drunk. I've tried."

"You?"

"It was a bad day."

"Huh." He ran a hand through his short, dark hair, standing it on end. "Well, I'm gonna go try my luck with breakfast."

He turned and Steve wasn't sure if that was supposed to be an invitation or not. After a long moment he started pulling the wraps from his hands and folded them up where he'd found them, starting out towards the kitchen.

Jarvis was reading off what sounded like news highlights as Steve entered. Tony was rummaging through a cupboard, responding back like he was having a conversation with the computer about the state of the nation and dropped a couple particularly snarky comments about a Senator Stern.

"_There was also a break in at one of the Stark Industries facilities at the edge of town_."

Tony straightened so fast that he slammed his head against a shelf. "What?! Why are you just now telling me that?"

"_You asked for me to give you the news in order of importance!_" Jarvis argued, sounding more offended than a computer should have been able to.

He grabbed the frying pan he must have been after and waved it emphatically in the air. "You should have told me when it happened!"

"_My protocols state that if your blood alcohol readings are above a certain level to withhold all potentially Iron Man-related issues until you may safely operate the suit_."

Tony crunched his nose up at that, setting the frying pan down on the burner and moving towards the fridge. He re-emerged with a carton of eggs and what looked like spinach. "I'm not saying that's a bad idea there, J, but I know I didn't put that in there."

"_Miss Potts implemented that particular protocol after the _birthday _incident a couple of years ago, sir_."

"So what? Are you saying that if I tried to put the suit on while I was drunk you'd lock me out?"

"_Yes sir. As per the protocol that Miss Potts set up._"

He cracked an egg on the edge of the skillet. "I'm telling you, Jarvis, I'm questioning your loyalties."

"Do you make a habit of flying drunk?" Steve asked, the question leaving his lips before he'd really given himself permission.

Tony turned like he'd forgotten he had a guest at all. "Huh? Oh. No, not really. All theoretical."

"He -" Steve motioned vaguely, not sure exactly where Jarvis was located - "said something about the birthday incident?"

"These days," Tony amended. "All theoretical these days. How do you feel about eggs? This was going to be an omelette, but I'm pretty sure it's just scrambled eggs at this point."

"Eggs are great."

"Fantastic."

They lapsed into silence as Tony scrambled the eggs and dumped them on the plate, offering it to Steve before starting on his own. After a few moments he heaved a sigh. "J?"

"_Yes sir_?"

"Care to finish telling me about my facility that was broken into last night?"

"_There's not much to tell, sir. That's why it's only just coming up. A burglary took place, the police were called by the automated systems. I can pull up the reports as soon as they're delivered to us._"

"You said burglary. What was stolen?"

"_A full inventory has not been conducted yet. Shall I make that a priority?_"

"Which facility?"

"_The one in Burbank, sir._"

Tony tilted his head. "Yeah. Get me that list as soon as you have it."

"_Of course, sir._"

He dumped his own breakfast onto a plate and joined Steve where he was standing at the island in the middle of the kitchen. He shoved a fork full of eggs into his mouth and spoke around it. "So how long you staying?"

Steve looked up at that, taking a moment to realize that the question had been directed at him and not Jarvis. "I didn't have any definite plans. Thought I might drive into town today -"

"By _into town_ do you mean the sprawling metropolis that is Los Angeles?" Tony asked, his tone slightly amused.

"Yeah… I'll find a place to stay there and —"

Tony quirked one dark eyebrow. "Running you off that quick?"

"I don't want to intrude…"

"You're already here, and I guarantee whatever stipend SHIELD's given you to live on isn't going to cover a decent hotel in LA."

Steve tilted his head, studying the other man. He was hard to get a read on. Last night he'd gone from trying to boot him out to accommodating to offended and back around to a kind of polite civility that had sounded incredibly forced.

Dark eyes flickered over to him and their owner squirmed under Steve's gaze. "What?"

"Just trying to figure you out," he answered honestly and that pulled a laugh from the other man.

"Many a shrink has tried," he offered lightly. He straightened from where he had been leaning over the counter to eat, moving to take care of the plate and even offering to take Steve's. He poured two cups of coffee and started back out of the kitchen, speaking as he left. "Heading over to Burbank in about half an hour."

And again, Steve had no idea if that was supposed to be an invitation.

* * *

TBC

Notes: There's something so fun and freeing when it comes to working with these guys so early on. I really do love their early relationship.

I hope you're enjoying this story!

Next time: Tony and Steve' investigate the burglary at the Stark Industry.


	3. Always Come Prepared

**Chapter Three: Always Come Prepared**

Tony didn't bother calling ahead to the location. He didn't typically make trips out to facilities unless R&D work was being done there, so on the off chance that someone inside his company had orchestrated the break in he didn't want to give them any warning. Granted, he had to admit there was something amusing about watching people scurry when the man whose name was on the side of the building showed up unannounced. Not everything could be strategic. Life was meant to be entertaining.

Cap had decided to tag along rather than _go into town_. He looked like a fish out of water as he followed Tony into the facility, and even more awkward as the SI employees went into overdrive for the surprise visit.

"Mr Stark?" Tony turned to see what he assumed was the man in charge around there barreling towards him. "Bill Wiley. I'm sorry nobody greeted you when you arrived. No one said you'd be coming in personally," the building manager said as nearly raced to meet him.

Tony greeted the sweaty man with a handshake that couldn't be avoided without coming across like an ass. "It was taking a while for the report to hit our servers. I thought I might be able to speed things along."

He didn't miss the way Bill Wiley glanced nervously at Rogers who, in turn, was sweeping every visible inch of the space with that sharp blue gaze of his. He might be behind the times on tech, but Cap had proven resourceful when he was interested in uncovering the truth on something. Maybe it was a good idea to have brought him along afterall.

"Well, it was in the middle of the night with our skeleton security crew, sir. We've been working with the police and running inventory on —"

"Perfect," Tony cut him off. "Whatcha got?"

"For… inventory…. sir?" the other man asked like he was certain he must have misunderstood.

"Yep. What'd they steal?"

The manager looked like he was bordering on terrified as he answered. "Nothing, as far as we can tell." He stopped, and Tony was fairly sure that he was weighing if what he wanted to say would get him fired or not. He motioned for him to spit it out and the man swallowed hard. "Do you… know what we do at this office, sir?"

"Something having to do with, uh…." Tony drawled out, desperately wracking his brain for the answer. He'd seen it, right? He was sure that he'd seen it or that JARVIS had told him or something. The hangover was starting to recede, but that didn't mean he hadn't missed a few things on the way there.

"I'm with your marketing division. I just happened to be the manager that answered the call at six this morning and came in."

"Six? They said the break in was at three."

"Might have been, sir, but I was at home asleep." Poor Bill Wiley, who appeared to be too far out of his depths for comfort, ducked his head. "We're the catch-all. We've got a few marketing teams that aren't housed at HQ or in New York, the aviation department holds meetings and keep their offices here, and a couple of underwriters that live out this way come in here to avoid the commute. We don't house anything worth stealing."

"Hey, Tony?"

Tony turned, finding Steve further away than he expected. He was standing with a security guard that looked more than a little starstruck. Good. Maybe that meant he'd helpful.

"Tony, this is -"

"Juan Morales. Wow. I didn't think I'd actually ever get to meet you. You're Iron Man."

"Sometimes," Tony answered casually as he sauntered over. "Right now I just own a company who had a break in that I'd like to know more about."

"I wasn't on duty when it happened. I start the morning shift at nine."

Tony shot Cap a look, but the other man motioned for patience.

"I'm buddies with Tom in the main office. Guess it's the one you work out of?"

"I work out of my house most days, but you were saying?"

"Right… So, Tom said that some of the other security guards from around the city sent in reports about signs of guys casing the places. I mean, most of them were warehouses and storage facilities and stuff, but we've all got the same basic security protocols, right? It's weird."

"Do you think they were testing them?" Steve prompted.

"Yeah. I mean, response times are gonna be different in each location, but the alarms, how long they take to go off, if the building has any lockdown protocols…."

It was like a slap to the face. "Which they all do," Tony managed.

"But no one was here. There was a delay in the lockdown. No code or anything, but nobody trapped either."

"Like they found an override….. Can you get me a list? The other locations your buddy mentioned?"

"Oh yeah, sure, Mr Stark. Anything you need."

"Just that list. And, kid, if this leads to something, you're getting the bonus of a lifetime." He turned towards Steve as the young guard bolted off to get him what he needed.

"You think someone's after something."

"More sure of it every second. Listen, uh… this is my problem. If you wanna go do the whole touristy thing -"

"What? And let you have all the fun?"

Brown eyes met blue and there wasn't even a hint of sarcasm. Cap wanted to help. Okay then. This could get interesting.

* * *

JARVIS has been running probability calculations all day, leaving Tony to tinker and Cap to wander around LA at his leisure. He'd left his things at the mansion, though, so Tony assumed he was coming back.

It left him with time on his hands and time was spent tinkering with suits and a variety of other projects in his downstairs workshop. It did wonders for his nerves and let him focus on something else when he didn't have enough data to start tracking down this unseen enemy.

"Tony?"

He jumped at the light touch on his shoulder, hissing a soft curse as the soldering tool touched his opposite hand and burned it. He turned, finding Pepper to his left and she looked startled by the extreme reaction. "I called your name a couple of times."

"In the zone, sorry," he mumbled and held his hand up to examine it. He'd had a lot worse.

Pepper reached for it, her hand gentle against his as if she didn't trust his assessment. "You should ice it."

The argument died on his lips and he offered her a smile instead. He stood, but instead of moving to the freezer to grab one of the waiting ice packs he kept there, he leaned in. She snorted a laugh, muffled by the kiss, and Tony wrapped his arms around her to pull her just a little closer. She gave in and he could feel her smile against him as she reached up, one hand trailing along the side of his face until her arm rested against his shoulder, elbow bent so that her fingers toyed with his dark hair. Okay. This was nice. It did wonders for his nerves too. One of the many, many reasons he never wanted to let her go. "Hey, maybe we could -" he started in the same moment Pepper said —

"Did I hear something about a break in last night?"

Right. That. He released her and started towards to freezer. "Yeah, the offices out in Burbank."

"In Burbank? There's nothing out there to steal."

"I think they were testing our security protocols." He grabbed the ice pack and winced as he pressed it to the burn.

"Does Barry know?"

Tony snorted, shooting her a withering look. "My money's on no. Remind me why we pay him?"

"Because he's the head of security, Tony."

"He's terrible at his job."

Pepper leaned against one of his work tables and crossed her arms. "And who would you replace him with? You've hated every name I've given you in the last five years."

"We didn't _know_ any of those people."

"Tony," she said in that tone that said she thought he was bordering on the absurd, "we don't know most new hires. That's what references and due diligence is for."

"Happy."

She blinked at him. "Hogan?"

"Yeah. He's been running my personal security for years-"

"Babysitting you, you mean?"

"- and yours for the last two. He knows every last security protocol we have and I guarantee he has ideas. We know him, there's no question we can trust him. How have we not already done it? Let's do it."

"Promote Happy to head of security?"

"Yeah."

She was still looking at him like he'd lost it. After a long moment she loosed a breath, letting her arms drop. "I'll make you a deal. You do what you're going to do anyway and figure out if this was more than just a one-off break in and if - _if_, Tony - SI's security has been compromised we'll revisit the topic when I get back from London."

"Deal. Wait. London?"

She crossed the space between and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "It's been on the books for two weeks."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. I'll be back on Saturday. Think you can manage?"

Tony feigned a hurt look. "No faith in me, Miss Potts?"

The look didn't phase her and her voice was painfully sweet as she spoke. "I just know you, Mr Stark. I left a reminder with JARVIS about the R&D meeting tomorrow. Please don't miss it?"

"Promise."

"Thank you. And try not to get shot at or blown up while your looking into your thief?"

He reached out for her hand and pulled her close again. "Do my best," he murmured, and she was close enough he could feel her breath on his skin. He didn't want her to go. Selfish, he knew, but it didn't change the feeling.

"_The calculations are complete, sir_," JARVIS' voice rang out, causing them both to jump, instantly pulled from the moment.

Pepper cleared her throat. "I need to head to the airport. Let me know how it goes?"

"Will do. Love you."

He loved that smile of hers. "Love you too."

Tony waited until she was out of the lab and starting back up the stairs. "This better be good, J."

"_I wouldn't have interrupted if it weren't important, sir_," his AI responded. "_I've run the calculations that you requested, and have come up with two likely targets and the top five most likely times that the breach will be attempted_."

"Put it up on the screen," Tony instructed and watched the data flicker into his vision. "Pretty sure you can take the warehouse on the right off, JARVIS."

"_I was afraid you might say so, sir. Shall I contact the authorities?_"

"No. Let security onsite know there's an issue, but I'll deal with it."

"_Sir, if I may -_"

"You may not."

"_I only wished to inform you that Captain Rogers is back. In case you would like to enlist his aid_." The second half of the announcement was spoken so quickly that Tony had to wonder if JARVIS was trying to get it out before the _mute_ command was given. He should probably be more nervous that he was that his AI had developed quite that much obstinance when it came to his warnings being heard at the very least, even if he really still couldn't do anything about making Tony follow them.

"Thanks, buddy," Tony said instead, letting it slide. He couldn't fault JARVIS for trying to look out for him.

* * *

Agreeing to help Tony Stark was turning out to feel like he'd been caught in a riptide. There was no real control. All he could do was let himself be dragged along until he surfaced at the other end.

Steve had barely walked into the house when Tony had come flying up from his lab and told him that if he still wanted to help, he better hurry up. He barely stopped long enough to add that he knew where his mysterious burglars were going to strike next and that he wanted to get out there to go over everything with his security team onsite. If Steve wanted any more details than that, he could get them on the way.

Tony talked almost as fast as he drove, rattling off so much information that Steve had to listen fast to catch the important pieces. "Wait, Wait. Hold on a second. What exactly are you doing with alien tech?"

The other man was halfway through a new sentence when he seemed to hear the question. "Huh? Oh. I created a new department at Stark Industries after the Battle of New York to work with the government to help with the cleanup."

"You? Working with the government?" Steve asked, shooting the other man an amused look. He'd seen clips of what happened a couple years before when he'd been called to Capitol Hill to discuss the Iron Man suits. His mockery of the Senate wasn't the top video when Steve had searched his name, but it was close. Funny thing, he's found some old reels put on the internet of Howard in a similar position after the war. He'd responded flippantly, hoeing no rea respect for the elected officials that had questioned him. Like father, like son.

"It does happen every once and awhile."

"I'm still not sure why we didn't contact the police. This seems like the type of thing they should handle."

"All the cops will do is scare them off and we'll lose them," Tony grumbled as he took a particularly sharp turn too fast for comfort. He glanced over, and Steve couldn't shake the feeling that he was sizing up his reaction to tailor his own. "I need more data. Let's get there, get the lay of the land, and then _maybe_ we'll loop LAPD in."

"Backup couldn't hurt," Steve pressed. "In case things move quicker than you're expecting."

"I don't need that kind of backup. The LAPD are great for what they do, but I became Iron Man to make sure that no one could use my stuff to hurt people. This falls firmly in that category."

"And they're okay with that?"

"Oh no, they hate it. Just can't really stop me," Tony chuckled and turned a corner. A warehouse came into view, large and gated with a guard station at the edge. The guard did not look happy as they pulled up next to it.

"Mr Stark," the guard greeted, his tone matching his worried expression. "I was just about to put a call in, sir. Communication with the warehouse went down about two minutes ago. I can't get through to anybody inside. I know you said -"

"Yep," Tony cut him off and killed the car engine.

Steve watched him step outside and followed half a moment later, his gaze trained on the warehouse. It was quiet, which might be expected after the close of the business day if it weren't for the fact that Tony had sent a warning ahead. For that, it was suspiciously quiet.

It didn't last. There was a loud crash that drew their attention and a figure stumbled out the door and fell hard against the ground.

"Shit," Tony cursed. "They're already inside."

"Call the LAPD," Steve instructed the guard before Tony could counter him. It wasn't until no argument came that he saw him toying with what looked like a bracelet of some kind. "What are you-?"

Tony nodded at the car. "Check the trunk."

Steve shot him a questioning look, but circled around to where it had popped open. Inside he saw his shield. The same one Tony had asked to take a look at while he'd been out earlier that day. "Just coming to check things out, huh?"

There was a loud roar that he'd heard before and one of Tony's suits came into view from seemingly nowhere. It barreled down and opened up just long enough for him to step in before it snapped shut around him. "Always come prepared, right?" he asked through the suit and Steve resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"The police are on their way," the guard offered.

"Fine. We'll have it wrapped before they get within a mile." Steve could feel that dark gaze move to him even through the helmet. "You with me, Cap, or do you wanna wait for your buddies?"

Steve pushes a frustrated breath out his nose as he grabbed his shield.

* * *

**TBC**

**Notes**: I was just writing along and suddenly Tony's pitching Happy for the head of security position. Don't know what to tell you. Apparently Barry sucks at his job. He's a lousy Forehead of Security :P

**Next Time**: Tony and Steve race against the clock to rescue the hostages and catch the thieves.


	4. Close Call

**Chapter Four: Close Call**

Tony half expected Cap to wait by the car out of spite. The look on his face when he spotted the shield in the trunk would have been hilarious if the situation wasn't escalating every second. He didn't have time to play the debate game.

The man that had stumbled out was dead by the time they got to him and the door had been locked from the inside. Tony did a quick scan and blew it away, opening up an entrance for them.

Gunfire pinged off the suit and he raised a hand to blast the shooter. The man went flying, slamming hard into the far wall, but Tony spun as Cap's shield whizzed past him. It collided with another intruder that Tony hadn't seen and threw him to the ground. Tony flashed a smile even if Cap couldn't see it. "Good thing I brought backup."

"You think you're funny," the super soldier grumbled as his gaze swept the hallway.

"No, I know I am. J, goin' in blind here. We need to not be."

"_Still working on getting access to the systems, sir_."

"They're _our_ systems!"

"_Which have been overridden with an access code. If you would like details on that, it will take a moment._"

"Do it, but get me a headcount as soon as you have it. Both sides."

"_Of course, sir._"

"Has he always been like that?" Cap asked, and for the first time Tony remembered that he'd handed him an earpiece to use. He wasn't used to his conversations with JARVIS being broadcast to anybody else.

"He's gotten a little more opinionated over the years," Tony answered and started down the hall.

"Shouldn't we wait until he-?"

"No point. I know where they'll be." Not that that was any real comfort. About a month before the team tasked with cleanup in New York had contacted him about some highly explosive materials that they'd found. Tests were run there and they were shipped in a specialized, unmanned aircraft that he'd designed and delivered to this facility. It was a hybrid storage and research lab that took a hell of a lot more than your average thieves to actually get inside. And if these guys got in, they'd know exactly where to go.

"You planning on sharing that information?" Cap asked, his tone irritable.

"The labs in the center of the facility."

The blond huffed. "Why?"

"Because that's where the really dangerous stuff is gonna be,"

"Why didn't you destroy it?"

Tony resisted the urge to sigh as they rounded the corner, hating that they were slowed down because they were on foot. If it had just been him he could have rocketed down the halls and been ready to take out any unfriendlies on his way through.

"_Sir, I've gained partial access_," JARVIS' voice echoed in his ear. "_There are five more, heavily armed. Two are guarding fifteen employees in the conference room in the northwest corner, two in the lab, and one guarding it._"

"Thanks, J. Cap, you wanna take a left and follow the hall all the way to the conference room on that side of the building."

Steve shot him a hesitant look. "We should stick together."

"No way I'm letting them leave with what they came for, and if we hit them first they'll start killing hostages. This is the play we've got. You with me?"

There was only a beat of hesitation before Cap nodded. "Let me know if you need backup."

"You don't have to worry about me, Cap. I've got it handled." He didn't wait for a response as he activated his flight capability and jettisoned down the hall towards the lab. Rogers was perfectly capable of rescuing a few hostages, but the real challenge was going to be stopping the thieves without turning the whole site into a crater in the ground.

* * *

The thug tasked with guarding the lab didn't know what hit him. Tony sent him sprawling and then landed hard, skidding to a stop. JARVIS had him in the door half a second later, but the easy entrance didn't extend to what was on the other side.

They had come prepared with tools and casings for transport. One of the intruders - a woman dressed in the Stark Industries lab coat that must have made it easier for her to slip in - was loading the material into the case, the other leveling a weapon that had Tony wondering if one of the other facilities outside of his direct perview had been hit.

The weapon charged quicker than it should have been able to and Tony barely got out of the way of the first blast. He wasn't so quick for the second one and it clipped him hard in the side, the momentum throwing him against the floor. The HUD readout flashed a warning of compromises in the suit's integrity, but he didn't have time to read it. Instead he used the repulser beam in one glove to drive his attacker back, raising his other to aim it at the woman trying to escape with the alien tech. "No so fast," he warned.

"You're going to let me go," she said.

"And why's that?"

A loud _BANG_ shook the floor of the facility and Tony whipped around to look towards it.

"That was the first and least of a collection of bombs we have set up amongst all of this extremely explosive material you have lying around here. They'll go off, one after another. I don't think you can get everybody to a safe distance."

"I have protocols in place to -"

"Contain it? Yeah. I put a hole in your automated systems. So you can take me in or you can get over to the control room and try to get your containment dome up manually to keep your little lab from frying a ten mile radius. Your call, Iron Man."

Another explosion shook the building and make the decision for him. He spun and was in the air and flying down the hall before he dared waste another precious second. "JARVIS…?"

"_I fear she was right, sir. I have no access to the safety protocols_."

"Shit. Cap, you got everybody out?"

"_Working on it. What's going on over there_?"

"They set the whole place to go up. Get everybody out and clear of the fence line."

"_What about you?_"

"I've got security measures in place to keep this place from hurting anybody outside of it. I need to kick 'em into gear and then I'm right behind ya."

"_Tony…_."

"Get them out, Cap, and keep them out. I can move a whole lot faster than you."

"_And if the thing blows?_"

"Haven't found anything that can breach my armor yet." Well, not fully, at any rate. That blast had certainly put a sizable dent in it that he felt all the way through to his ribs. "Just, uh… watch for a woman trying to blend in. SI lab coat. Dark hair."

"_That's half the people with me, Stark_," Steve growled.

"She'll be attached at the hip with a case full of alien tech. Gotta go. JARVIS, mute the comms," he instructed as he landed, grimacing at the sight of the damaged control panels. Alright. This was alright. At least he could get it there.

"_Are you sure that is wise, sir_?"

"I need to concentrate, J. Can't do that with Cap in my ear questioning my every move." He moved to the first panel and then the second, but he found what he was looking for on the third and started in. "What do you have on our mystery woman?"

"_I thought you needed to concentrate, sir?_"

"Just…. run a search from the feeds." He heard what sounded like a grumbling acknowledgement from his AI and Tony's fingers slid across the keyboard.

"_Search complete, sir_."

"Hold that thought, J. Everybody out?"

"_All Stark Industry employees and Captain Rogers will be clear of the fence line within moments. It would appear several of the intruders have broken free as well_."

Another explosion sounded in the distance, this one echoing into another one like it had sparked it off. If he waited any longer the dome wouldn't have time to contain the worst that was yet to come. "Well let's get this party started then."

"_Sir, the building has already been damaged, and the odds of you making it through before the dome closes-_"

"I know the math." On both his odds and everybody else's if he tried to hedge his own bets. He'd just have to be faster. He slammed his gauntlet against the start button and leapt into motion, flames meeting him at the door. Well, he did always like testing his limits.

* * *

The alarms were screaming over the shouts of the employees that were being evacuated. Past the fence line, just like Tony had said. Steve still didn't like it. If Stark was right, the whole facility could go up at any moment and there was still no sign of him. Well, if there was one thing the Battle of New York had taught him, it was that Howard's son had a lucky streak.

Sirens sounded in the distance, fire and rescue incoming, and he scanned the crowd.

"Is that everybody?" the security guard asked, pulling Steve's attention around.

"Everybody but Stark," he acknowledged and move towards a woman with a silver case. "Hey."

She took off, but didn't make it very far in the crowd. Steve caught hold of her and pulled the case out of her hand as gently as he could manage. "Watch her," he told the security guard, and blue eyes turned back to the building, narrowing at the way the air started to shimmer. It started low and seemed to solidify as it arched upwards. It looked like some sort of force field. He wasn't sure if that should be possible, but it was a Stark facility.

Another explosion rocked the building and Steve could feel it through his boots. The force field continued to climb up as another shook, the windows blowing and smoke poured out of the new openings, flames following quickly behind. With the speed at which the dome was closing up, anything or anyone left behind would be caught in a contained blast. Tony might have brushed it off and assumed his suit could take the hit, but it was worse than a grenade in a foxhole. More like the grenades he'd tossed into a few tanks in years past. Either way, it never ended well for the men inside.

The explosions were constant now, one setting off the next, and the wall was doing its job by holding it in. It funneled the fire upward toward the rapidly closing hole in the top.

And then there he was, rocketing up to and through the hole, the pressure forcing him faster than his suit might have been able to move on its own. Steve found himself loosing a breath he hadn't even realized that he was holding as he watched Iron Man shoot higher than the flames as the dome closed and cut them off. Cheers erupted even as he saw Stark falter, one of his stabilizers sputtering, and he started his uneven decent back to the ground to land hard.

Law enforcement and medical was arriving behind him, but his focus was on the red and gold suit that was straightening again. It opened up to release its pilot. Tony stumbled out, knees buckling, and Steve darted forward to catch him. "Easy," he said as the dark haired man immediately tried to push him away.

"'m okay," he mumbled.

"I can see that," Steve answered, and he couldn't help the fond smile that tugged at his lips.

"Just got my bell rung." He turned to look at the dome, and Steve was pretty sure he would have toppled over if he hadn't had a firm grip on him. "Look at that. It worked. Not that I had any doubts, of course."

"Tony Stark. Wish I could say I was surprised to see you here," a voice greeted from behind Steve.

The inventor did manage to pull free of Steve's steadying hold this time and he flashed what was probably supposed to be a charming smile. It might have been, too, if the left side of his face weren't caked with blood. "Hey look. My two favourite captains. Rogers, meet LAPD Captain Jim Ito. Jim, Captain Steve Rogers."

"Stark drag you into this?" the police captain asked and Steve tried for a reassuring smile.

"I thought he might need some backup and he wasn't going to call you guys in."

"Well we're here now."

"And I've got a present for you. Over there. Ellen Mira. Where's her case?"

"I've got it," Steve said, holding the case that hadn't left his hand up for inspection.

"Good. They don't get that."

"What's in it, Mr Stark?" Captain Ito asked, his dark eyes narrowing and Tony somehow managed to straighten a little more.

"What she was trying to steal."

"Then it's evidence."

"You don't have the containment facility for it. I have several."

Ito's gaze swept him up and down. "One less than you did."

"If there's anything we can do to -" Steve tried, but the police captain turned an irritable look on him.

"Get him out of here and keep him away from my investigation," he snapped and motioned to his people.

Steve looked back to Tony who shrugged, grimacing as he did. "You heard the man. Time to call it a night."

With the facility half destroyed by the explosions and the fire losing oxygen under the dome, it had turned out to be one hell of a night.

* * *

**TBC**

**Notes**: Pepper told him not to get blown up or shot at, so what did he do? He got shot at and blown up. Of course he did... Honestly, trouble just finds him.

**Next Time:** Tony is a grouch and Steve gets a look behind the mask.


	5. Never Let Them See You Bleed

**Chapter Five: Never Let Them See You Bleed **

Everything. Hurt.

That took up the majority of his energy and his focus on the drive back out to Malibu. It was the reason he didn't argue when Cap demanded his keys - the car could drive itself, but that didn't seem to matter - and why he tuned him out most of the drive back, only perking up from where he'd curled himself up in his seat when Steve started asking JARVIS to connect the navigation system to the nearest hospital.

Tony reached out clumsily from his dozing state and swiped at Cap's arm. "No. No hospitals. Told you 'm fine."

"Tony, you haven't responded the last three times I called your name."

"I was sleeping," he managed, trying to straighten and feeling his entire body protest.

"Bordering on unconscious, but okay," Steve answered in a tone that said he wasn't going to let him get away with much on this.

"I've got a full scan system set up in the lab. If there's anything really wrong -"

"What's your definition of _really wrong_?"

Tony snorted, but noticed that they were at least heading in the direction of the house.

"_Miss Potts set up strict medical protocols in my systems_," JARVIS offered. "_Anything life threatening or that may become life threatening will result in an instant call to Dr Sneider_."

"The Doctor comes to you, huh?"

"More discreet that way."

The car turned into the long driveway and Cap's voice was soft. "Never let them see you bleed."

"Something like that." He pushed a breath out through his nose and grimaced as he reached for the door to unfold out of the sports car. It should probably say something that he didn't even hear Steve get out from his side. He must have, because there he was ready to catch him if he face planted into the driveway. "I'm fine."

"That's what you keep saying."

Tony waved him back and the taller man finally gave him some space. He straightened gingerly, taking note of the aches and pains as he started to limp forward. He stumbled a couple of times on his way into the house, his right foot strangely unstable when he put weight on it, and felt Steve's hand grazed his shoulder like he was going to take hold. Tony slammed his palm into the panel in the wall and it slid open to reveal the lift that would take him down to his lab. Walking was one thing, but trying to take the stairs at that point would likely leave him in a heap at the bottom. "Stop hovering."

"Tony, you're hurt. I'm just trying to help."

"I don't need it," he snapped back as he leaned against the wall of the lift to let it take them down. "I may not be a super soldier, but that doesn't mean I need a babysitter just because I got a little banged up."

Cap started to answer, but closed his mouth again. The doors opened and he didn't move to help as Tony shuffled out and to the middle of the room, carefully peeling his t-shirt away to give the scanners a clearer shot of what he thought was the worst of the damage dealt.

He could feel the other man's gaze follow him, and he did his best to ignore it. Instead he stopped, closed his eyes, and waited as the blue light washed over him.

"Scan complete," JARVIS announced and Tony limped to the computer screens, easing his shift back on. The data populated and he winced at all the red showing sign of damage in varying degrees. The blast he'd taken from the alien gun had cracked his ribs and the explosions he'd flown through hadn't done them any good either. He had a mild concussion, plenty of deep bruising, a sprained wrist, and a couple of small bones broken in his foot. All in all, it could have been a lot worse. For the kind of explosive material that had gone off and —

He slammed to a stop, whipping around to look at Steve. "The case?"

"You told me to bring it with us… that you had a vault here at your house you could store it in. You don't remember that conversation in the car?"

"Yeah, yeah of course," he managed, and at least pieces of that felt familiar. "What'd you do with it?"

"Upstairs."

"Vault's below the lab."

"Just…. sit tight. I'll go get it."

Dark eyes watched him go through the door and head up the stairs for it before Tony limped his way over to the medical cabinet to start pulling out supplies.

"_Sir, shall I fill Miss Potts in on what's happened_?" JARVIS asked as Tony wiped at the blood dried to his face.

"Nah. She'll just worry. I'll tell her about it when she gets back."

"_Perhaps Colonel Rhodes then?_"

"I'm sorry, did you miss the part where I already have an uninvited, spangly houseguest that has decided to mother hen me to death no matter how many times I tell him to leave me alone? No, J. I'm _fine_."

"Where do you want this?"

Tony jumped at the unexpected voice and turned to find Steve standing there with the case in hand. His expression was carefully guarded. Great. Perfect. Just what he needed. "Uh… in the vault. It's downstairs. C'mon." He eased himself up from the chair and Steve didn't move to help. He just followed, matching Tony's limping pace, and they put the case away. Tony spoke as he typed in the code, a shimmering light encasing the holding shelf. "Same tech as the labs. If anything happens, it'll contain it so we don't have to worry about it."

"Good to know. I'll be out of your hair first thing in the morning."

"Cap, I didn't mean -"

"Yeah you did. It's fine. I won't bother you anymore."

Tony couldn't find the words as he watched him turn and leave the lab. He should have felt relieved at the prospect of being able to patch himself up in peace and crash for the night, but instead he just felt a weight on his chest that had nothing to do with bruised and cracked ribs. Disappointment. That's what it was. They could have been friends. Maybe. Eventually. He'd spent his childhood in the man's shadow as his father had searched for him, and a part of him had always hoped it had more to do with the lost man himself rather than the disinterest Howard Stark had shown in his only son. Fighting alongside him in New York and the last couple of days here in Malibu, he had started to think that maybe that was the case. Now he wouldn't know. He'd pushed him away like he did most people that tried to get close. He was good at that, and with only a couple exceptions over the years, most people didn't bother coming back.

* * *

"_Captain Rogers? Captain?_"

It took longer than it should for Steve to pull himself out of the deep, dreamless sleep he found himself in and to piece together just where the disembodied voice was coming from. "Jarvis? Why are you- It's three o'clock in the morning."

"I'm very sorry to wake you, but Mr Stark is in distress. I can't seem to wake him and I fear with being injured…"

Steve threw the covers off and swung his legs over the side of the bed to stand. "Can't you _tell_?"

"Sir, I'm a computer program, not a miracle worker. Mr Stark doesn't allow any scanning equipment in his personal quarters. All I have is the audio feeds."

That didn't sound good. If Tony was _distressed_ enough that the AI system heard him, but couldn't wake him, he could be in serious trouble. He knew he should have taken him to the hospital instead of letting him talk his way out of it. Stubborn man. Just like Howard, and just like Howard that stubbornness could bring a certain level of danger with it. Even more so for Tony, from everything Steve had seen.

He had a vague idea where the other man's room was and rushed up the stairs and around to a set of large doors that were pushed closed. He tapped on them, but heard only a muffled response from inside before he pushed them open.

Tony was curled up on his side in the large bed, the sheets tangled around him like he'd been fighting with them. As Steve inched forward he could see the way his knuckles had turned white as he gripped at the sheets, face screwed up in what he could only assume was pain, and he threw caution for the other man's bruised ego out. "Tony? Wake up. Tony?" He reached forward, and the moment his fingers touched Tony's shoulder dark eyes popped open, wide and a little haunted looking, and he came flying up from the bed. He was halfway to his feet on the bed itself as if he were all fight and no flight when something gave and he went crashing right back down with a pained yelp.

Steve winced at the whole scene and Tony groaned, pulling in what sounded like an unsteady breath as he cracked an eye back open. "Cap," he managed. "What are you…?"

"Jarvis said something was wrong. Are you-?"

"Just a dream."

"That's one hell of a dream."

If he didn't know better, he would have thought Tony looked embarrassed. "Nightmare," he corrected. "I get them every once and a while. I couldn't breathe-"

"Why couldn't you breathe?"

Tony blinked owlishly at him, like he was trying to piece something together. "Cracked ribs, you know how it goes. Or maybe you don't. It's harder to breathe right with them. It's…. I'm fine. Stop looking at me like that."

Steve loosed a long breath and motioned at the bed, waiting for permission until he sank tiredly to the edge. "I don't really know. I heal so fast that I don't think it's ever gotten to that point, even with a really hard hit."

"Lucky you," Tony groused, a pained sound escaping as he shifted.

Steve cleared his throat awkwardly. "Makes it kind of hard to gauge how bad other people are actually hurt though."

He found Tony's dark gaze on him, studying him, and the other man tilted his head a little in the dark room. "Guess it would."

It wasn't exactly an apology on either end, but somehow Steve thought he could feel some of the tension ease between them. He watched the dark haired man for a long moment. "If you're alright, we should probably both try to catch another few hours."

"Yeah… sure," Tony answered, running a trembling hand through his hair, and he sounded anything but confident that he could.

"For most people they get better with time," Steve murmured softly.

"Huh? What?"

"The nightmares."

That seemed to startle the other man, but at least he didn't look angry. "You've been having them too?"

The question as surprisingly open and direct, and Steve steadied himself to try his best to reciprocate. "For a long time. I lost someone in the war. My best friend. I couldn't reach him, couldn't save him, and he died. I still relive it sometimes."

Tony nodded, silent for a long moment. "Sorry J woke you up."

And that was a dismissal if Steve had ever heard one. He stood, not wanting to push the tiny steps of progress, and started for the door.

"Hey, Cap?" He turned back. "I'm going to go see if anything survived out at the facility tomorrow. Probably after lunch."

Steve waited, but after a long moment and no follow up, he shook his head chuckling. "Is that just your strange way of inviting me with you, because I've been trying to figure it out since I got here."

"What's strange about it?"

"Everything."

"Yeah, well, you don't have to come," he huffed, slouching bank down into his bed. There was a long pause before he pulled in a breath. "But, uh… if you decide you don't wanna leave town in the morning, you're welcome to come along."

Well, at least he knew that's what he was doing now. "Sure, Tony. Someone's got to keep you out of trouble." He turned, an amused snort following him out of the bedroom door.

* * *

**TBC**

**Notes**: Throughout the MCU it always seemed like Tony felt the need to compete. He was just a man in a can between demi gods and supersoldiers. On top of that, SHIELD pushed him into a consulting position only to drag him in and essentially ask him to sacrifice himself to take a nuke that their superiors launched on a one-way trip into could blame him? I'd feel a desperate need to keep up too, even if I was a billionaire genius playboy philanthropist. He seems to take on the 'never let them see you bleed' mindset that comes about again and again and again through the movies, and I love leaning into that here. There's something nice about Cap seeing a glimpse behind the mask early on.

**Next Time**: Early morning meetings and broken bones don't mix well.


	6. Painkillers and Espresso

**Chapter Six: Painkillers and Espresso**

The sound of loud clanking and an even louder curse drew Steve to the kitchen the next morning rather than heading into the gym like he'd planned on doing. He found Tony Stark, half dressed in what looked like would eventually be a three piece suit, the missing cuff links leaving the sleeves hanging open around his wrists, and hopping awkwardly on his uninjured foot. He swiped for a pill bottle on the counter and dry swallowed one before looking over towards Steve. "Yeah, laugh it up. I know I look funny."

"You should probably see a doctor about your foot if it's hurting that bad this morning."

"He'll just tell me to stay off of it, and I don't have time. It's fine. Not even swollen, just sore." Toast popped up from the toaster and Tony grabbed the slice, taking a bite out of it plain. "You still planning on sticking around?"

Tony changed subjects about as fast as he talked, and sometimes it took Steve just a beat longer to keep up, all the while trying to make sure he hadn't missed something. "As long as you're not kicking me out."

"I thought we covered that last night…. Anyway, I'm heading into the office this morning. If you're game for tagging along I thought we could drop by the site after I'm done."

"You're going in to work?" Steve asked, and he was relatively certain his expression matched his tone.

"Yeah."

"You know you look like you lost a round in a side alley, right?"

Tony reached up, fingers brushing lightly against the visible cuts and bruises on his face. "They know who I am. It's fine. I have an R&D meeting."

Steve opened his mouth to argue, but shut it again. Trying to convince him was pointless and had proven to do more harm than good. He sighed. "You're not going to listen to me if I tell you you'll regret pushing yourself, are you?"

Tony hobbled his way over to the coffee pot that had signaled it was done and poured himself a mug of it to take on the go. "Look at that. You can teach an old man."

"Funny."

"Yep. How quick can you be ready?"

"Give me ten minutes?" He received a wave in response as Tony turned his attention to limping around the kitchen and getting ready. Steve hesitated only half a moment until he was sure the other man wasn't going to land in a heap on the floor before starting back to his room to get ready.

* * *

For all the strain that his body must have been under, Tony hid it exceptionally well. Steve wasn't sure if he should be impressed or concerned, but whichever it was it didn't change that he looked much sturdier on his feet by the time they were walking into the monstrosity of an office building that was, apparently, Stark Industries' Los Angeles headquarters. The plan was simple: the meeting shouldn't take more than a couple of hours and Steve would use that time to access the footage that could be salvaged from the newly destroyed Stark facility's security cameras as well as the video that Tony's Iron Man suit had recorded during the battle. All of that would be made available on Tony's secure systems in his office that he still kept, even if rarely used.

They met a man that Tony introduced as Happy Hogan at the door who gave Tony a once over before looking like he knew fussing over him would a losing battle. Instead Hogan - Tony and Pepper's personal security, he explained, and yes, he knew how useless it was to be Tony's security these days - led Steve through the lobby, past a giant portrait of a much older Howard Stark than Steve had ever gotten to know, and up the stairs.

The office was bare, a few boxes in the corner and a desk against a wall. There was nothing about the room that indicated that it was ever used at all, except for a computer on the desk that Hogan had to access for him. "Jarvis is linked up, so he should be able to find anything for you that you need."

"Thanks."

Hogan turned to leave, pausing just a few steps away before turning. "You know, when Pepper told me that Tony had a buddy come into town, didn't even cross my mind it could be you. I mean, he hated… uh…"

"Hated me," Steve prompted, not really wanting the confirmation, but the level of awkward radiating from Hogan after sticking his foot in his mouth was painful.

"Not you, necessarily." He glanced towards the door as if making sure Tony hadn't popped up without warning. "His old man used to talk about you all the time, from what he said. Drove him nuts. I guess I just wouldn't have thought you two would click with all of that."

"Well, _clicking_ may be a little overstated, but I, uh… I don't know. He's certainly proved to be more than he looks like at first glance."

"It takes a while to get to know Tony. I've worked for him for over fifteen years. He's a good man."

"I'm starting to see that," Steve acknowledged softly. "He reminds me of his dad."

"I wouldn't tell him that."

Steve barked a laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah, I caught onto that. I feel like we both knew two different Howards. If I hadn't seen the name on the plaque I never would have recognized the portrait of Howard down there. The man I knew was -"

"Younger?"

"Full of life. A little wild. A lot wild," he corrected with another laugh. "And obnoxious. He always knew he was the smartest man in the room and wanted to make sure everybody else knew too." A fond smile tugged at his lips with the memories. "But his heart was in the right place."

"Sounds a lot like Tony," Hogan said, and Steve couldn't help but feel like he'd passed a test of some kind. "Have Jarvis buzz me if you need anything. Well, anything not techy. I'm not great with that."

"You and me both," Steve muttered, half to himself as the other man left him alone. "Okay, Jarvis, let's get started."

* * *

He didn't typically choose to take pain medication. There wasn't much he could do if he was unconscious when a doctor decided to dose him, but if it was his call, he tended to avoid the fog that the meds soaked his brain in. With the way he'd been limping around that morning, though, he knew he couldn't avoid taking something. If he tried to hop around to avoid putting pressure on his injured foot he felt it through every cracked rib and in his injured wrist when he reached out to catch himself each time that he inevitably lost balance and went tumbling to the side. That was no way to conduct an R&D meeting, so he'd dug through his medicine cabinet until he found a pill bottle that wasn't years out of date and had swallowed a half dose to take the edge off and get him through the day. It worked, and might have even worked as intended if he'd had more than half a piece of toast and a thermos of coffee for breakfast that morning.

Tony felt his head start to swim during the first presentation. Several of his lead engineers were pitching their project ideas to him so he could decide which ones he wanted to sign off on and which ones were dead before they left the gate. He sent an intern for a cup of black coffee by the second, thought he caught most of the third, but it was the fourth that he really started to fade on.

"Mr Stark?"

He blinked hard. Had his eyes been closed? Shit. They had, and they weren't focusing very well now. He blinked rapidly to clear them and the young engineer that was giving his presentation looked part nervous and part irritated. Tony wasn't quite sure which one was going to win out as he straightened in his chair and cleared his throat. "Huh? Right…. Sorry." He'd heard something. He knew he had. Something about a hologram, connecting to the brain…. No. Yes. The hippocampus. Memories. He leaned forward and massaged the bridge of his nose. "So you're wanting to tap into memories…"

"And project them, yes. The applications are limitless. With just the right touch, you could create an entire visible world just from someone's memories, project it, and -"

"Interesting. What was your name again?"

The man - likely the head of his team - looked like Tony had taken a physical swing at him for half a second before regaining his composure. "Beck. Quinton Beck."

"I like it, Beck. Put together your cost projections and -"

"I've got those," Beck cut him off.

"Fantastic. Get them to my secretary and we'll get started." He checked his watch. "Great session, guys. I have another meeting to get to. Anything we didn't cover just… I don't know, leave it on my desk or something." He needed more coffee. Maybe a few shots of espresso. In an energy drink. That sounded like a plan.

Thankfully no one fought him too hard on slipping out early. Tony made a beeline for the coffee cart that he'd had opened in the cafeteria years before, feeling every step from his battered foot up through his still-throbbing head. He ordered a large of the most caffeinated drink that they could make before slowly limping his way up to his office.

He found Steve Rogers with his gaze fixed on the computer screen. The blond looked up as he shuffled across the room, looking him up and down. "You okay?"

"I'll live," Tony answered. "Whatcha got?"

"JARVIS is running a few searches for me, but uh… I'm curious. What's this?"

He turned the screen around and Tony saw something that had absolutely nothing to do with the case they were working on. "Those are the plans for the rebuild of Stark Tower," he said slowly, uncertain how Steve had even managed to stumble into those plans. The man was far from tech savvy, which meant JARVIS had likely steered him in that direction while he waited on something else. He really needed to have a candid talk with his AI system about boundaries.

"These rooms have our names on them," Rogers prompted and Tony delayed the expected response by taking a long drink from his coffee cup. It wasn't like he could drain the whole thing, though. Eventually Cap would expect an answer.

Tony cleared his throat. "That's, uh… What I talked to you guys about. The remodel crew needed an answer so I told them just to go with it. I thought someone would, you know, say _something_ about it. Guess they'll just be neat rooms now. It's fine. No harm."

Blond brows drew together. "What do you mean talked to us about?"

"At lunch after the whole… space invasion… thing. Or dinner. Whatever. Shawarma."

Cap stared at him for a long moment, his gaze becoming more and more confused. "Tony…. I have zero memory of you talking about, well, anything while we were eating."

"I went on for like, ten or fifteen minutes about it!"

"Nothing. Sorry."

"Seriously?"

"We were all exhausted, Tony. A few of us concussed."

"I guess that's fair…" He ran his hand through his dark hair, thinking back on the day. Yeah. He had a few gaping holes in his memory too. If anyone else had said anything while they were eating, he had no idea.

"So you designed… whole living spaces for us in the tower without even knowing if anybody would take you up on it?"

Tony ducked his head. "Yeah, it was stupid. The contractors needed an answer…."

"That's amazing, Tony."

"Huh?"

"You redesigned the entire tower for… us. Even if there isn't an us right now."

"Thought there might be again. Someday. I don't know, it was a dumb idea."

Cap snorted and Tony was having to fight the urge to find any excuse to run out the door. "It's a compliment. I don't know anybody else that would do that."

"We made a good team."

"We did." He could feel Cap's gaze on him and he finally met it. "We still do. It's a good idea."

Tony cleared his throat hard. "What'd you find about my thieves? Anything?"

"Not a lot that it looked like you didn't already have, according to JARVIS." Tony tilted his head in question. "Just some information about our Ms Mira. Should we forward that over to the police -?"

"Nah. They've likely got it all by now. JARVIS didn't find anything in any databases that they couldn't get their hands on."

"Exactly what kind of databases does JARVIS search?" Steve asked, his tone not quite accusatory, but Tony flashed him a charming grin nonetheless, turning for the door.

"All the useful ones. C'mon. I need another espresso and then we can head out. Apparently painkillers make you sleepy. Who knew?"

He paused when he didn't hear Cap follow immediately and found the blond man still seated as his desk, that icy blue gaze fixed on him. "We should at least touch base with the police. Aren't you already stepping on their toes? Captain Ito-"

Tony squared his shoulders a little, doing his best to suppress the grimace that threatened at the movement. "I gave Captain Ito his arrest that he wanted. The rest of it - the weapons that might come out of it - that's my business."

"Tony..."

"Not everything's an alien-invasion level threat, Cap, but if people could get hurt because of a breach in the company's… in _my_ security set up, that's where Iron Man steps in. That's why I built the suit. If you're not comfortable with that, fine. It's my fight. I can get you a ride back to the house."

There was a long moment of silence and just as Tony was ready to call Happy to have him take Steve back to Malibu, the other man heaved a sigh and stood. "I'm not going to leave you without backup."

"I do just fine on my own every other day, Cap."

"But you don't have to. Not today. I told you I'd help and I will."

It wasn't exactly a glowing endorsement of his methods, but there was something to be said about Steve having his back anyway. If Tony wasn't careful, it was something that he could get used to.

"Okay," he murmured softly, pushing hard at the thoughts before they threatened to spill over into visible emotion, and he turned back to the door. "Waiting on you now, Stars and Stripes."

* * *

TBC

**Notes**: Funny story, about the time I was trying to figure out what kind of injuries I could give Tony without incapacitating him I dropped something on my foot and broke some of the tiny bones there. Apparently I just needed to vent some of my pain out through Tony :P

Also, anyone notice the up-and-coming (though very prissy) engineer on Tony's team?

Next Time: Tony pushes Captain Ito too far and Ito pushes back.


	7. Assumptions

**Chapter Seven: Assumptions **

Tony chattered about anything and everything on the drive back out to the facility, and Steve half wondered if the man was just trying to keep himself awake. That or his coffee intake had finally overcome the drowsy effects of the pain medication that he'd swallowed that morning that he'd been complaining about. Either way, it was easy to let the prattling fade off into the background of his own thoughts as they sped along the California highway.

In just a couple of days he'd gone from knowing very little about his old friend's son to being sucked down the rabbit hole of chaos that Tony apparently functioned in on a daily basis. One in which he alternated between holding meetings at his massive tech company and nearly getting himself blown to Kingdom Come, skirting the police with the same total lack of regard for authority that he'd put on display around SHIELD, and doing it all with a grin and a quip that Steve was sure was meant to remind everyone that Tony always thought he was the smartest one in the room. No matter who happened to be in the room with him at the time. Just like Howard.

There was all of that, but he'd found more the longer he stayed, which seemed to be the way things went with Tony Stark. The bravado was, at least in part, a mask he wore. It covered the nightmares that kept him up and the pain that trying to take on everything by himself left him in. He'd said that protecting people from the breach in security was the kind of thing he'd created Iron Man for, and it had been in that moment that Steve had realized that he hadn't known exactly what that first suit had come from. He'd seen plenty of flashy videos of what he'd used it for since, but he'd also seen the other man use it to fly a nuclear bomb through a wormhole even if there had been little hope of a return trip. He'd seen him stay behind to get everyone else out with no real guarantee the integrity of his suit could withstand the explosion. There was a lot he didn't know about Tony, and a lot of conflicting information that only served to remind him of Happy Hogan's warning of just how complicated his boss could be. He had seemed to know Tony pretty well, but he'd also said he'd worked for him for fifteen years.

"Shit." Tony's soft curse pulled Steve's attention around to the police cars that were coming into view as they pulled up to the gaping crater that remained encased in the dome from the night before.

"Were they not supposed to be here?" Steve asked cautiously.

"I'd hoped Ito would let it rest. The man always has to push back whenever we run into each other."

One of the uniformed officers motioned them through the police barricade and Tony did not look happy. He pulled through anyway and killed the engine, a more relaxed mask slipping into place as he threw his door open and stepped out. "Jimmy, fancy seeing you here. You enjoy paying your boys to stand around and do nothing?"

"I've been trying to get ahold of you all morning, Stark," the police captain growled.

Nothing about the grin Tony flashed left Steve thinking this was going to turn out well. "Well don't I feel special? What about?"

"No one in your office is capable of lowering the dome."

"True."

"They said only you can do it."

"Mostly true. Technically Jarvis has to access the satellites that send the signal down… it's a whole process with the control panel, you know, non-existent now. He only takes that order from me, though."

"Take it down."

"No."

Ito pushed a frustrated breath out through his nose. "I have an investigation to conduct. My men need to get inside."

"You got a warrant?" Tony waited, his smile never faltering. "Didn't think so. You keep saying this is your investigation, but it's on my property with tech I'm responsible for, so no. It's really not."

The police captain stood staring for just a moment as Tony turned to saunter off towards the guard post that had been cut in half by the dome before shaking his head. "Every damn time," he grumbled and turned his irritable gaze towards Steve. "Your friend is going to get himself killed if he keeps sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong."

"He's doing what he thinks is right," Steve answered.

"So's every vigilante out there, but that doesn't make them right."

Steve glanced over to where one of the officers was trying to stop him from entering the guard station. "From what I can tell, he's not actively trying to disrupt your investigation. He just wants to make sure no one gets hurt."

"He certainly hasn't been in a sharing mood."

"He doesn't have anything to share. Some information on Ellen Mira."

"What information?"

Steve paused just a moment, watching the man carefully. Communication really wasn't Tony's strong point. "Not much. Basic information, DMV records, criminal history. He said it's nothing you wouldn't already have."

"Because the son of a bitch hacked our systems," Ito snapped, turning towards where Tony had worked his way into the station. "Barrows! Take him in."

The officer that had lost his battle with Stark flashed a satisfied smile as Ito started towards them. "With pleasure, Captain."

"What the hell?" Tony demanded as the cuffs came out.

"I like your friend. He's more straightforward than you are." Tony's gaze snapped over to Steve and Steve felt his own jaw go slack. He'd stepped in it. "You're under arrest for obstruction."

The officer wrenched Tony's arms behind his back and Steve saw the flash of pain at the movement. The other man wasn't looking at him anymore, though. He wouldn't. Instead he turned that dark, sharp gaze on Ito. "It's never gonna stick."

"But it'll get you off my crime scene. We'll find our own way in."

Steve watched as they shoved Tony into a police car and he turned a frustrated look back to the captain. "That's not-"

"I would choose my next words very carefully, Rogers. I'd rather not throw Captain America in the same cell as Iron Man this afternoon."

"If Jarvis is the only one that can open that dome, you'll never get in it without Tony."

"I'm sure not all of Stark's employees are as off the reservation as he is. Now, I have a job to do. Good day, Captain."

Ito turned, leaving Steve there in a full dismissal like he hadn't heard since he'd answered to Phillips in the middle of the war. Fine. This wasn't a battle that was going to be won arguing with him anyway. Let him comb through the Stark Industry employment records for an employee that wasn't actually an employee. Steve wasn't going to offer him another word. He needed to help Tony.

* * *

This was a long time coming, if he were honest. His announcement that he was Iron Man four years before had landed him with a standing arrest order by any law enforcement agency that one of his missions collided with. Not that they'd ever made good on it while it had stood - or could have - but even as the standing order faded into legal proceedings on Capitol Hill and the compromise of Rhodey's War Machine had eventually been reached, there were still a few agencies that weren't fond of him.

LAPD was hit and miss, depending on the precinct. Most of the Iron Man missions took place somewhere other than LA County, but when they did take place at home they tended to get messy, and Ito's group had dealt with a couple of this incidences so far. It didn't help that Jim had been around forever and probably had heard all the stories from other officers called in on some of the wilder parties Tony had thrown in his youth.

They weren't particularly gentle with him as they shoved him in the car at the facility and half dragged him out on the other end. It could have been worse. They popped back and forth, Tony giving verbally as good as he got all the way to the precinct. He actually managed to crack one of the officers up with one of his retorts and he thought the man's partner might have managed to turn about the shade of Pep's hair. He was handed off to another set once he got inside, and all the fun and games of the verbal sparring took a turn. Apparently they had a running bet that they needed him to settle for them: they wanted to know if he was in the suit when Iron Man showed up or did he just fly it around from the safety of his home computer like a glorified, multimillion dollar video game?

"You think this is stage makeup or something?" Tony shot back, motioning to the deep bruising that showed along his face and doing his best to keep his tone lighter than his mood as they shuffled him through the building. "That usually goes to cover it."

"Even in New York?" one of the beat cops pressed.

"Even New York," Tony answered darkly.

The question about New York followed immediately by being shoved into an interrogation room and made a show of slamming the door behind him did nothing for his anxiety levels. He hated tight places and locked doors. At least they'd removed the cuffs when they had gotten inside the building. That relieved the strain on his bruised body.

If there was one thing he hated more than the feeling of being trapped, it was boredom. Tony spent the first however many minutes standing before he moved to take a seat, feet rebelliously propped up on the table and chair tilted back like he was going to take a nap. That lasted all of five seconds before nervous energy had him popping back up on his feet again and pacing, working hard to ignore the steady ache in his foot with each step. It left him desperate to distract himself with anything.

It didn't take long for his searching thoughts to settle on the Rogers. The man might not be the central reason he found himself in this box of a room - were the walls getting closer or was that just him? - but something he had said had set Ito off. For a supposedly top notch super spy, he was way too trusting. He needed lessons from Romanoff of something.

The door finally opened, pulling Tony from his thoughts halfway to the far wall. He spun around to look at the newcomer and his injured foot twinged painfully. He barely managed to catch his balance before meeting Jim Ito's stoic gaze. The older man quirked an eyebrow. "You don't look good, Stark."

"Well that's rude," Tony grumbled, but even he could hear the strain in his own voice and he shifted his weight. "You here to charge me or release me?"

"You hacked our computer systems."

Well that wasn't an answer. "Is that what Rogers told you, because I'm pretty sure he still thinks _hacking_ is something you do with a sharp object."

Ito snorted. "You always think everything is a joke. If you want to get yourself killed, you do it on your own time, but if you do it while sticking your nose into a police investigation for your little PR stunt, _we_ get blamed for Iron Man's death."

"PR stunt? Seriously?" Tony met and held his gaze, letting all of the false amusement dissipate. "I'll let you in on a secret, Jim. There are much less painful ways for me to land on the front page of any national site, paper, and newsroom, and I've got a whole team that can make it happen with one call from our corporate offices. I don't need to get myself blown to hell for it."

The two men stood and watched each other for a long moment, neither giving until a sharp tap on the door finally broke the tense moment. A detective stuck her head inside. "Sir? A word?"

Ito grumbled a response and stepped outside. Tony didn't even have a chance to hobble back over to the chair before he returned, somehow looking more peeved than when he'd left a minute earlier. He held the door open.

"I take it I'm free to go?"

"Pays to have friends in high places."

Interesting. He hadn't been given a phone call or even charged with anything as far as he knew. He wondered how the lawyers had found out. They did work quickly, though, which probably meant Pepper knew about it too. That'd be an earful.

Ito expression was steeled as he passed him at the door, but he must have known that he couldn't hold Tony with what he had. The man had never liked him, and that bitterness had somehow compounded since he'd become Iron Man. Tony paused where he was. "What is it about me? I mean, I get that you and some of your colleagues don't like the whole superhero gig, but it's not like I'm the only one to -"

"People like you aren't heroes, Stark."

Ouch. Funny. He thought he'd heard that before. "Don't believe everything you read in the tabloids."

"I don't have to. I got a first-hand look when I was called out to the scene after Howard Stark's wild child got so drunk he wrapped his newest sports car around a tree. You're arrogant, reckless, have no respect for anyone in authority, and have been bailed out of every compromising position you find yourself in. The fact that there's a United States Air Force colonel in my office right now proves that the only thing that's really changed is that you've convinced the country you're somehow on par with Captain America. I don't buy it."

That struck a nerve and Tony leaned in, his voice deadly quiet so that only Ito could hear him. "You wanna know why I didn't call you or anybody else out of the LAPD? It has nothing to do with respect and everything to do with the fact that once we were there, I knew it could go up, and I was already fighting the odds to get the people that were already in there out."

"Our job is to -"

"I know what your job is, Captain Ito. And contrary to what you seem to believe, I think you're pretty damn good at it. That's the problem. Can you look me in the eye and, no matter how much you hate me, say that you would have ordered your men out while I got the dome up?"

"You're a civilian, Stark. That's our _job_," Ito ground out.

"And your people don't have an ARC reactor powered suit that can take the hits and get them out of there either. World's changing. We're facing down gods and aliens and…. shit I never thought I could believe in. This wasn't just any other break in, and you weren't equipped to handle it. I was. So you didn't get a call."

"You're trying to tell me you were protecting us?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Tony pulled in a sharp breath, ready to turn and leave, but stopped just shy of it. "And I've done a lot of stupid things drunk, but wrapping the car around the tree wasn't one of them. I was testing a system that would help auto-correct a car at high speeds. It didn't work and I went off the road and into a tree." He waited, watching Ito process the information. "But please. Keep thinking you know a damn thing about me."

And then he stormed out, determination keeping his steps steady. He didn't slow down until he reached the lobby and found a familiar face waiting just outside of Ito's office. Rhodey looked like he was gearing up to gripe at him, but his expression softened almost instantly as their eyes met. He reached out, balancing Tony even as the younger man felt the adrenaline that had spurred him through his anger with Ito wash out of him, and he leaned a little into his friend. "Let's get you home," Rhodey offered and all Tony could do was nod.

* * *

TBC

Notes: The conversation with Ito took so many forms from conception to where it stands now, but I'll admit I'm pretty darn happy with the way it came out.

Next time: Rhodey calls a doctor, Pepper threatens to cut her trip short, and Tony finally gets an answer to his question.


	8. Oh, That Steve Rogers

**Chapter Eight: Oh, That Steve Rogers **

Steve hadn't known exactly what to do once Ito had essentially kicked him off the property. He'd been given him Tony's keys and told to move the car. That hadn't been a problem, but apparently contacting anybody was. Jarvis hadn't answered when he'd hopped into the driver's seat and Steve didn't know why. He called the computer system's name and received only silence in return. Nothing he tried seemed to make any difference and he'd finally thrown the car into gear and sped all the way to the Malibu mansion where he knew he could access Jarvis.

The crisp, British voice had greeted him upon entry, explaining that he was connected to Stark's car through the bluetooth in his cell phone… whatever that meant. Steve hadn't had time to care and he'd explained the situation. Just as he'd expected the AI had protocols in place and he had reached out to one Colonel James Rhodes who he said was on his way.

That had been three hours ago. Jarvis had no updates and Steve was left to the insanely large house that Tony Stark called home, waiting on some news of the man that he was starting to consider a friend. He'd done everything he could to help him, but even as he tried to find something useful to distract himself with, all he could do was to replay the conversation with Captain Ito again and again. As far as he'd known he hadn't told the man anything that would compromise Tony's mission, but something in it had set him off. The problem was that Jarvis wasn't feeling particularly chatty when it came to explaining how Tony got this intelligence, and the AI was unable to find anything specifically wrong with what Steve had told the police captain. Tony would know, but that wasn't exactly a question he could ask right then and there.

"_Captain Rogers? Colonel Rhodes has arrived with Mr Stark_."

Steve wasn't aware that a computer could sound quite that relieved, but Jarvis had managed. It was fine. He felt it too. He was on his feet in an instant, barreling down from the library Tony had on the second floor of his home and into the living room where a man that must have been Rhodes was helping an exhausted looking Tony Stark into the house. Tony was leaning heavily into him, Rhodes' arm carefully wrapped around his waist to help support the weight, and Steve stopped dead in his tracks. "Did they hurt him?"

Rhodes looked up, looking like someone had just punched him in the gut. "Steve."

"Yes?" Steve answered cautiously, even if the sound of his name didn't actually sound like it was directed at him.

"Holy shit. Tones, you said _Steve_."

"Yeah I did," came the groggy reply as Tony started to pull free.

"Oh no you don't. Is that Steve _Rogers_?"

"Yeah."

"Captain America."

"Same one."

"That your dad missed award ceremonies for and almost missed your graduation over?"

"Yep."

"And you didn't think that was an important piece of information?"

"Did I mention I probably got a concussion last night?"

"_You did receive a concussion last night, sir_," Jarvis chimed in.

"Helpful, buddy, thanks," Tony grumbled.

This could go on forever. "Tony." Steve waited until the other man looked over to him, his expression bordering on confusion like he'd forgotten he was there at all.

Then the confusion shifted into amusement, and his tone was lighter than Steve had expected it. "Hey there, snitch."

Steve frowned a little at that. "Tony, I never meant to -"

"Oh, I know. I knew the second he wanted me to think you told him I'd hacked the system."

"Are you alright?"

"More or less," the other man answered with a small shrug and Steve thought he believed him for the most part. There didn't appear to be any more bruises than there had been when they took him in. He was moving a little more stiffly, looked a little paler, and his limp was a little more pronounced, but it could just as easily be the result of pushing himself too far. He was quickly learning that was just a normal state for Tony Stark.

"_Miss Potts is on the line for you, sir_," Jarvis announced.

"Does she know?"

"_Yes sir._"

"The explosion or getting arrested?"

"_Both, sir_."

Tony gave a dramatic groan and limped his way to the couch, taking a seat on the edge. "Put her through."

"_Over speaker_?" the computer asked, sounding hesitant. Steve really needed to ask if Tony programmed him that way or if Jarvis had somehow learned to mimic human inflections like that.

"Do I look like I have an earpiece on me?" Tony snapped and slouched back deeply into the couch. "Let her know Rhodey and Steve are here too. Maybe she'll cut me a break."

Rhodes snorted to Steve's left.

There was a moment before Pepper Potts' voice replaced the AI's, supposedly through the phone systems. "_Tony? Are you okay?_ _They said there was an explosion and I just got an alert that you were arrested? What's going on there_?" she demanded, her tone somewhere between worried and angry.

"The whole break in thing's gotten a little crazy, but I've got it under control."

"_I'm cutting my trip short. I'll be home in _-"

"Pep. Pepper? Hey. Stop."

"_No, Tony. You're_-"

"I'm _fine_," he stressed. "You've been working towards this meeting for months now. I'm a little bruised up is all."

"_Have you seen Sneider_?"

"Didn't need to."

"He's on his way, Pepper," Rhodes chimed in and he waved his cell phone at an increasingly disgruntled Tony. "His good pal Steve Rogers and I have it covered."

Steve glanced over at the way the way the other man said his name, but it looked like Rhodes' attention was focused on the call.

There was a long moment of silence before an audible sigh from the other end of the line. "_You boys will take care of him_?"

"Pep, I'm not -"

"Yeah. We've got him," Rhodes cut him off.

"_Okay. Tony, grab the receiver? I promise I won't yell_."

Tony chuckled through his grimace as he leaned forward, grabbing the house phone from the table and suddenly Pepper's disembodied voice was gone, supposedly filtered through the phone. Steve watched Tony settled back on the couch again, his lips tugging at the corners in what looked like a real smile and he seemed to relax as he spoke in quiet tones with the woman on the other end of the line.

"Hey, Captain America," Colonel Rhodes called quietly, pulling his attention around. "Let's give him some space. You and I need to get on the same page before Doc Sneider gets here."

* * *

He could have listened to her for the rest of the evening and into the night if it weren't already into the earliest hours of the next morning in London. That and Sneider had shown up at some point. As soon as Pepper heard that her voice was firm again, reminding him that he couldn't help anyone if he didn't take care of himself. Tony had to reluctantly end the call and let the doctor poke and prod at him endlessly.

Crazy thing, none of his injuries had magically healed themselves in the last twenty-four hours. In fact, if he was recalling JARVIS' read outs correctly, he'd strained a few injuries a bit further than before.

His foot hurt like hell, and Sneider's probing fingers against all those delicate little bones was driving him nuts and sucking what was left of his energy reserves dry. "Are you done yet?" he groaned, slouching down into the chair the old doctor had sat him in. The man really was ancient. It was a wonder he could still see anything, much less enough to conduct a medical exam, but Tony had known him as long as he could remember. He'd treated him for second degree burns when one of his robots had sparked and blown up in his face when he was eight and for his first concussion when he'd failed to outrun a gang of bullies at twelve. He was the man his father had called to discreetly pump his stomach the first time he had gotten alcohol poisoning and the same the one that had come out to the house to check him over yet again after Afghanistan. He was one of the few medical professionals that Tony had trusted with a deeper explanation of exactly what the ARC reactor did for him.

"I'd tell you to stay off this foot, but you won't," Sneider grumbled as he wrapped it. "Least you can do is give it some support. Don't sleep on your left side. Those ribs are only going to feel worse the next few days. I'll give you some pain medication that'll help you sleep if you…. look at me, Anthony." Tony turned to meet that sharp blue gaze. "Only if you don't drink on it."

"Sure thing," Tony answered automatically.

"I mean it. James? Keep him honest."

"Always do," Rhodey answered from where he'd been hunched over conspiratorially with Cap. That couldn't be good.

"Fair enough," Sneider answered and stood. "Otherwise I'll have to answer to Miss Potts, and that's a woman I wouldn't want to cross."

"Me either, Doc," Tony chuckled and eased his foot down to the floor from where it had been propped for examination. He stood, slow to put pressure on it, and regretting it the moment that he did.

"Two pills and bed, Anthony. No superhero business tonight. Preferably for the next several days, though it seems like if you aren't gushing blood you don't think it's serious enough to stop."

Tony tossed the offered medication back and dry swallowed them. "Shower and then bed," he agreed and Sneider waved him off.

Thankfully neither Rhodey or Steve made him turn them down by offering to help him up the stairs. He took them slowly, leaning heavily against the wall to his right, and made his way one step at a time.

That's how he got through his shower too. Slow and steady, but by the time he'd finished the pills he'd swallowed were in full effect and he was swaying dangerously. He found himself stumbling out of the bath suite and into his room, his dad's robe wrapped around him, and a familiar figure coming into view. "You're lucky I'm not in a towel," he managed, frustrated to hear the slight slur to his own voice. No wonder Sneider had told him not to drink on them.

"Wouldn't have been the first time," Rhodey acknowledged with a quirked eyebrow. "You got enough wherewithal to tell me your side of the whole Captain-America-is-your-houseguest routine you got going on?"

Tony snorted and flopped out next to where Rhodey was sitting casually on the edge of his bed. He grabbed the first pillow within reach and stuffed his face into it. Smelled like Pepper. He missed Pepper.

A tap to the back of the head had him jolting up, a hiss of pain escaping as he did and he rolled into his side. "What the hell was that for?" he managed.

"Answer my question. Rogers. What's going on there?"

"Who knows? I was minding my own business, getting ready for date night with Pepper, when he just showed up. Poof. Outta nowhere. Did you know I was gonna pop the question?"

"Wait…. what? The question? Don't tell me you were gonna ask that woman to marry you?"

"Marry….? No! Move in, Rhodes. Keep up."

"Still a bold move, pal."

"We've been dating for _years_," Tony argued drowsily.

"And you're still a hot mess. You sure you want to subject her to that on a daily basis?"

"Loving the support, bud."

"Just saying… It's a big comittment"

"I love her. I want her to know."

There was a long moment where he didn't hear Rhodey say anything and he looked up from where he was curled on his side on the bed. He saw a fond sort of smile tugging at the other man's lips. "I'm proud of you, Tones."

The teasing retort died before it ever reached his lips and instead he swatted clumsily at him, mumbling a _thanks_ instead.

An awkward sounding cough at the bedroom door drew both of their attention. Steve Rogers stood there, looking entirely out of place, and he ran a hand back through his blond hair. "Sorry to interrupt…"

"How long you been there, Sammy boy?"

Cap shot him a questioning look at that and Rhodey rolled his eyes. "Uncle Sam for Captain America. Sammy." He sighed heavily. "I feel like I should l formally apologize for Tony. The loopier he gets, the weirder the nicknames get. It takes decades of practice to figure them out."

Toby reached out clumsily for him. "Like platypus."

"Yeah, you say you don't remember where you got it, but you won't drop it. Time for bed, Tones."

He winced, feeling the drug induced fog pulling at him. "But we don't know why Cap's here yet. We need to know why Cap's here." He propped himself up, determined to look his maybe-friend in the eye. "Why?"

Steve stared at him, his expression bordering on panic for some reason. Was Tony making him uncomfortable? Shit. That would be the day. Steve Rogers - _Captain America_ \- the man to aspire to according to Howard Stark, Jim Ito, and probably everybody else, was nervous. Who'd have thought?

"I wanted to get to know you," Cap said after a moment. "The real you."

"How's that going?" Tony asked, determines to stay propped and mostly upright despite the way the room was starting to pulse.

The blond's lips quirked. "A new surprise every moment."

"Huh. Glad to know I can keep you on your toes, Rogers." He could feel his energy escaping like air out of a balloon. He started scooting for the top of the bed and somewhere in the back of his mind he processed that Rhodey was helping ease the comforter back for him.

"Get some sleep, Tones," Rhodey said softly.

"You staying?"

"Yeah."

"Cool. We can all figure it out tomorrow," Tony mumbled. When had he gotten under the sheets? He wasn't sure, but he felt Rhodey pull them up around him and murmur a soft _good night_. If he said anything else, Tony didn't hear it. Instead he felt his eyelids tug closed and he sank into sleep.

* * *

**TBC**

**Notes**: I feel like this has been the most inconsistently updated fic I've had in a long time, especially because I was already something like 9 chapters into the writing when I started posting it lol. While I'm close to finishing it, I've been distracted by some other projects: a script for Nano and a character analysis looking at Howard Stark that I'll be posting over on Tumblr when it's finished. That and being sick the past week has killed my writing abilities. I've gotten so little done that it's embarrassing.

But hey. Here we are with an update that includes loopy, nickname-giving Tony and Rhodey 3

**Next Time**: Tony trusts Cap with a story he doesn't often share and they receive bad news in regards to the stolen alien tech.


	9. Consequences of Warnings Ignored

Notes: Thank you to Bridgett for the heads up on the wrong chapter being posted. This would be the correct Chapter Nine :)

**Chapter Nine: Consequences of Warnings Ignored**

Sneider hadn't lied. The old man had warned him that his ribs were going to feel worse before they felt better. Sometime around three in the morning the painkillers had worn off just enough for the pain to slice through the trippy dreams he had been having and wake him up coughing and sputtering. He rolled to his side, curling in on himself as he did his best to will his body under control. His best wasn't cutting it. He was going to hurl, but he had no idea how to get himself up and out of bed, much less to the bathroom.

"I gotcha, Tones," a familiar voice said, and he squinted to see a trash can being held ready for him. He dove for it, emptying what little he had in his stomach until there was less than nothing left. He sank down, draped against the edge of the bed and focused on breathing for a long moment.

He could hear Rhodey shuffling, taking the trash can to the bathroom and running water in it. Tony couldn't muster the energy to move, just listen, and he heard his friend's footsteps returning. "Just like old times, huh?" he rasped, the joke sounding weak even to him.

"Yeah, I don't remember old times including as many broken bones," Rhodey huffed, moving back into his line of sight. It looked like he'd pilfered a pair of sweatpants and an MIT hoodie that Tony thought he actually remembered stealing from Rhodey years before. Well, he supposed that was fair.

"Cracked ribs, not broken," he corrected as his gaze slid past his friend to a chair not too far from the bed.

"Oh yeah? How's that foot?"

A blanket was slung over the back of the chair that wasn't usually there. "Rude. Did you sleep in a chair? I have guest rooms you know."

"Yeah, six of them. When do you ever have that many people stay over?"

"I like to have options."

Rhodey snorted. "I can't hear you from the guest bedroom."

"You worried about me, Rhodes?" Tony teased, but the other man's expression was more serious.

"Always these days, Tones. How're you feeling?"

Tony gave a dramatic groan. "Like a building exploded with me inside of it about thirty-six hours ago."

"That good, huh?"

"Oh yeah. That and I took pain meds on an empty stomach."

"Could be why you woke up like you did."

"Leaning in that direction, yeah."

Rhodey reached forward, the back of his hand pressed against Tony's forehead like he was checking for a fever and looked satisfied with the results. "You should -"

"_I apologize for the interruptio_n," JARVIS' voice cut in, "_but I've just received a report that the transfer vehicle and police escort that was taking Ms Mira to a new holding facility was attacked_."

"Just now?" Tony demanded. "It's the middle of the night."

"Probably avoiding morning traffic," Rhodey mused.

"How bad, J?"

"_The reports are still coming in, but there appears to have been an explosion. Three confirmed fatalities currently, but medical is on its way_."

Tony felt his chest tighten, his anxiety levels on the rise and he tried to think through them. He needed more information. More data. He couldn't do anything unless he had all the facts. "Explosion? Where?" He shifted, steeling himself.

Rhodey turned a half panicked look on him. "No no no. You stay down."

He had barely started the struggle to sit when two hands pushed gently against his shoulders, forcing him back against the pillows. "I have to help -"

"You're not in any condition to go help anyone right now."

Brown eyes met a darker set. "I tried to warn him."

Rhodey's determination shifted into an expression Tony couldn't quite place. It wasn't pity. He knew better than that, but where Tony felt the sudden onslaught of guilt at not being able to make Ito see reason and that failure costing likely good cops their lives, Rhodey seemed to join him somewhere on that spectrum of pain. "I know you did, buddy," he answered softly. "Listen, try to get some more sleep. You know I have enough contacts to run something down. As soon as I've got something I'll let you know. Okay?"

He still felt the overwhelming need to act, to make sure that this didn't happen again, but Tony found himself nodding and accepting Rhodey's admittedly reasonable proposal.

"Right. I'm gonna go wake Rogers up and -"

"Why?"

Rhodey snorted. "Because if someone isn't here you're gonna faceplant into the floor when you try to get up the second I'm out the door. C'mon, man. I know you." He reached forward, his touch brief on the side of Tony's face. "Get some rest. I'll call it in as soon as I've got it."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He turned towards the door and paused. "I know you won't believe me, but this wasn't your fault, Tones."

And then he was gone, leaving Tony to loose a trembling, pained breath as he squeezed his eyes shut, his imagination filling in the gaps of JARVIS' limited report.

* * *

Colonel Rhodes was convinced that if someone wasn't watching Tony that he would try to slip out of the house as soon as Rhodes was gone. It seemed like a stretch until Steve poked his head into the presumably sleeping man's room to find it empty. A quick search through the bedroom and a call into the adjacent bathroom suite confirmed it.

Panic threatened his sleep deprived mind. Five minutes. He'd been responsible for Stark for five minutes and he'd lost him. Fantastic.

Just as quick as the panic had threatened, Steve pushed it aside. It wasn't useful anyway. Never had been. No, he needed to think this through. It hadn't been long since Rhodes had left, and as slow as he'd been moving a few hours before when they had all turned in for the night, he couldn't have gotten dressed and out the door yet. Maybe the garage? Or….

He stopped. "Jarvis?"

"_Yes, Captain_?"

"Where's Tony? Is he still in the house?"

"_Mr Stark is in the kitchen_," the AI answered briskly and Steve was off.

Down the stairs and into the kitchen, there was no immediate sign of the missing Stark. The coffee pot was on and brewing, but the lights were dimmed.

"Rhodey tell you what happened?"

Steve startled just a little at the unexpected voice from the room just beyond the kitchen. He followed it to find Tony curled into a chair, that old robe wrapped around him, and a tablet in hand. He flicked at it and the video feed he was looking at projected out so that Steve could see the mangled mess of vehicles left behind from the explosion.

"Two local cops are dead, one US Marshal," Tony said, his voice raw sounding and there was none of his usual enthusiasm.

"How?"

"Still waiting on more intel, but it happened when they were transferring our woman. If I were to take a guess, I'd bet she found a way to smuggle a piece of the alien tech with her and set it off."

Steve looked him over as subtly as he could. He looked exhausted and in no small amount of pain still. "Maybe you should get some sleep while we wait? It could be a while."

"I can't sleep."

"Just -"

"_No_."

The snap took Steve off guard and he stiffened. Tony must have seen the reaction because he loosed a long breath. "Sorry. I'm just…. I need to figure this out. There could be more out there. Until we figure out who these people are and if they got any more of it…" He squeezed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I can't let anybody else get hurt."

_You only fight for yourself_. That's what Steve has told Tony when they'd first met. He'd seen footage, he'd read reports. He had thought he knew him, but all he'd seen was the image Tony projected for the world. This man - bruised, beaten, and heartbroken over the lives he couldn't save - somehow seemed so much more real than the mask of bravado that he usually wore. Steve took a careful seat across from him and pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"What?" Tony prompted tiredly.

"You said you created the Iron Man suit to make sure your tech didn't hurt anyone."

"Yeah," he managed, not sounding like he liked where this was going. Steve would have to tread carefully.

"SHIELD's files are… thin on what happened in Afghanistan, but that's where it started, right?"

Tony managed to look even more uncomfortable than before. "What are you asking, Cap?"

"What happened there? What made you choose _this_?"

Tony looked at him for a long moment and Steve thought the dark haired man might tell him to mind his own business. His reasons were his own, and when Tony uncurled and stood, he was pretty sure that was what he was expected to take away. He didn't move, but watched as the injured man limped slowly back towards the kitchen. "You coming or are you gonna make me shout?"

His invitations left a lot to be desired, but at least Steve was certain that's what it was. He followed, doing his best to keep his movements casual and unhurried. Tony looked uncomfortable enough with the subject as it stood.

The other man moved stiffly to the coffee pot, his voice soft and distant as he spoke. "I was there for a presentation. The Jericho Missile. The convoy escorting us back to base was hit and I was taken. Spent about three months there and built the suit to get out."

"That's about where the SHIELD files end. I just… I guess I'm asking what got you from there to being willing to get blown skyhigh."

Tony snorted. "I could ask you the same thing." He turned to lean back against the cabinets and sip at his steaming coffee. "There was a man I worked with. A… mentor. He was close with my dad. I found out he was selling my weapons to terrorists. This -" he taped the ARC reactor set into his chest - "keeps the shrapnel from my own bomb away from my heart. They were using those weapons on local families to keep them under their thumb. They ripped airmen to pieces with them to get to me. I swore I wouldn't let anyone use one of my designs like that again."

"The early missions that you ran," Steve breathed. "The ones with near to no information on them."

"They were to destroy my stolen tech."

Steve loosed a breath. That had been the missing piece. It made more sense now, and he knew he'd misjudged the other man early on. He knew it now more than ever. "I'm sorry."

That seemed to startle him out of the increasingly brooding mood he had been sinking into as he spoke. "Huh? For what?"

"The things I said before New York."

Tony ducked his head a little. "Yeah, well, you turned out to be more than just some hopped up super soldier so… live and learn, right?"

"Guess so," Steve murmured, the corner of his lips quirking up.

If Tony was going to offer anything further, he didn't get the chance. There was a loud chime that must have been the doorbell and he shot a questioning lol towards the front door. "J, what've we got?"

"_I'm sorry, sir, but I'm unable to get a clear visual of the individual for ID recognition_."

Steve frowned. That didn't sound good.

"Show me what you _do_ have," Tony answered irritably.

An image popped up on the tablet he'd left on the kitchen island and Steve leaned in for a closer look. The man on the porch was slender, medium height, and very good at making sure his baseball cap shielded his face from view. Tony pushes a breath out through his nose. "I'll be damned. I think that's Ito."

Now that he said it, the figure did resemble the police captain. "What would he be doing here?"

"Won't know until we talk to him. Jarvis, let him in."

* * *

**TBC**

**Notes**: For a story that I never actually meant to write, this thing has grown like crazy...

And it's almost done. I just wrapped up the writing for chapter 10 and I think, at most, there may be 12 chapters all together. Watch it somehow turn into 20. That'd be just like my traitor brain to add on another arc to prove me wrong. :P

For those of you that celebrate, I want to wish you a very happy Chunukkah and a Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday, and here's hoping that I can get the next chapter up by New Year! :D

**Next Time**: Danger follows Ito to Tony's doorstep.


	10. Uninvited Guests

**Chapter Ten: Uninvited Guests **

The distraction couldn't have come at a better time. He hadn't been prepared for a discussion about Afghanistan, Obadiah, or the lives lost because the man that had betrayed his trust. It had made him who he was, but there were still nights he still woke to the sounds of men and women shouting, screaming, and then it all went deathly quiet. He always jolted awake after what felt like an eternity alone in the darkness there, the memories difficult to shake off.

Tony's movements were slow but mostly steady. He could practically feel Rogers behind him, ready to catch him if his footing slipped. It didn't, though, and he hoped he looked steady as he circled around to where Jim Ito stood in his foyer. The older man removed the cap he was wearing to reveal signs that he'd been with the escort team. The man really didn't sleep. His dark gaze snapped over to Tony. "I don't want to hear it, Stark."

The younger man slammed to a stop. "You get checked for a concussion? Because you just waltzed into _my_ house in the middle of the night."

"And I don't think for a second you don't have the information on what happened."

Tony's expression darkened. "Three dead, last I heard."

"And one of my guys is critical in the ER."

"And Mira?" Steve asked, pulling both attentions back to him, but Tony didn't miss the look in Ito's eyes. Something had happened. Something that hadn't hit the systems JARVIS had access to.

Ito pulled in a breath. "Gone."

"Dead?" Cap pressed, though if Tony had to put money on it he'd have bet that Rogers didn't believe that anymore than he did. Not with that look Ito was giving them.

"No. She escaped." He set his jaw. "She shouldn't have been able to from where that blast went off. We haven't been able to figure out how or what…"

Tony snorted. "Someone should have warned you how dangerous situations like this can get. Oh wait. I did."

"See, that's what I meant," Ito sniped back.

"Hey."

Tony's head snapped around at the firm word and he regretted the movement instantly. Steve's icy blue gaze was fixed on the police captain though. "What exactly are you asking for, Captain Ito?"

The older man ducked his head ever so slightly, that proud gaze of his finding the floor. Finally, he looked to Tony, squaring his shoulders and tilting his chin up again. "You were right."

Tony leaned in, making a show of cupping his hand to his ear. "Didn't quite catch that, Jim. Come again?"

"Tony," Cap grumbled and his tone pulled a satisfied smirk from the injured man.

Ito's gaze snapped to him and he said louder, more firmly, "You were right. We have no idea how to handle a threat like this."

And that was all he needed. "Okay. Bring me up to speed."

* * *

He had hoped that Ito was just there for information, maybe some advice on how to approach the situation and re-capture their escaped prisoner, but no. Steve couldn't be that lucky and Tony couldn't be that reasonable. It was still the earliest hours of the morning and he was still injured, but that didn't seem to matter. He barrelled ahead as fast as he was capable of going. He paced the length of the living room, nervous energy rolling off of him in waves, even as Steve watched him favour his injured foot. Every movement was stiff, slow, but he kept going, almost like he thought he would eventually outrun the crash on the other side. It would come. Steve had seen how hard it hit when Tony had come back the night before. It had been a strong reminder just how human the man inside the suit was. This whole trip had been.

Tony loosed a clipped, wincing breath. "Okay. So run it past me again? She was in the van that exploded?"

Ito looked annoyed. "Yes."

"Same one that the other cops died in?"

"And one's in critical condition, yes."

The injured Avenger stopped his pacing, leaning back and turning his dark gaze up at the ceiling as he thought. Steve could practically see him putting pieces of the fractured puzzle together, pulling them apart again, and repositioning. "And your car was -"

"In front. She was in the back of the vehicle. The driver is the one in the hospital."

Tony's eyes popped open. "But the guy in front of her died?"

"He was caught by the brunt of the blast," Ito answered hesitantly, as if seeing where it was going. Steve did too, and he didn't like it.

"So it came from that side? Same one Mira was on?"

"You're getting at something. Wanna share it?" Steve grumbled.

"Just that if the blast came from that side of the vehicle - from _inside_ the vehicle - Mira shouldn't have survived." He turned back to Ito. "Are you sure she did?"

"I know the man that saw her. He wouldn't make that up."

Tony's lips twitched downward. "I'm not saying he did…"

Ito straightened from where he sat on the couch, his bruised features stretching thin in the dim lights that surrounded the three men. "It's why I'm here. She shouldn't have walked away. Shouldn't have been able to walk away from it, but she did."

"You think she's enhanced?" Steve asked quietly, drawing Ito's gaze.

"Enhanced?"

"Like him," Tony answered, motioning to Steve. "Something outside of nature enhancing physical limits of a human being in a permanent way.."

Ito nodded, his movement stiff. "I should have seen something coming. She was… Calm. No. Confident. I thought she was arrogant, but obviously she knew something I didn't. What could have caused this?"

Tony finally took a hard seat in a chair, leaning against his knees and despite the lack of momentum he hadn't lost any of his nervous energy. "I can't say for sure, but there was a lot of alien tech after New York. My people didn't get ahold of all of it, I know, even if we tried. If she did, and if she's been experimenting with it…"

"Holy shit," Steve breathed and Tony looked up at him, a little startled by the curse that had escaped him. Let him be. It seemed to be warranted.

"Yeah."

"Worse case scenario?" Ito pushed, and Tony shook his head.

"There's no telling. We could be dealing with someone that has a lot of tech at her disposal or just enough to make her whatever she is. Until we -" A pulse ripped through the floor of the mansion, drawing their attention to the jolt.

"Earthquake?" Ito offered.

Steve's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That's not an earthquake."

Tony was on his feet again. "J, whatcha got?"

"_There appears to have been a localized explosion near the entrance of the garage, sir. We've lost access to camera number eight._"

"Anything in any of the surrounding cameras? The sensors?"

Steve watched him move towards the living room windows that overlooked the ocean, blond brows drawing together as he tried to figure out why. Then the images appeared across the glass: camera feeds and a map of the house - bigger than Steve had even realised, now that he saw an aerial view of it - with a heat signature at the entrance of the garage burning far too hot for any normal human. Tony tilted his head, studying it.

Another tremor shook the floor hard enough for something in the adjacent room to slip from its shelf, the sound of shattering glass throwing Steve into fight mode. Tony's map lit up at the garage entrance and at a beam close to it.

"What does that mean?" Ito demanded.

Tony reached for the glass, his fingers guiding the map in deeper, readings expanding out from it. "I had three archetectual engineers tell me a house couldn't be built here that was stable enough to withstand the earthquakes in the area. I proved them wrong, but…" He leaned in, looking closely at something. "But it wasn't designed to withstand high impact explosions. She'll take the whole house down if I don't stop her."

"We," Steve corrected, drawing Tony's attention. "If _we_ don't stop her."

Tony looked to him, those dark eyes questioning for just a moment, before he offered a quick nod of acceptance. Another jolt shook the floor and he started a quick limp towards the stairs leading down to his lab. "Get Ito his car and get him out of here. I'll meet you outside."

"Where are you going?"

The dark haired man quirked a smile that reminded Steve of his father more than ever. "I'm gonna get dressed up and greet our guest."

Steve swallowed his protest as watched Tony start for the stairs down to his lab and his waiting suits.

"You wanna grab some shoes, Captain?"

Blue eyes blinked hard, following Ito's gaze down to his bare feet. At least he'd had the sense to put a pair of jeans on when he'd come downstairs, but he hadn't exactly been prepared for a full-out battle. "I've got something a little more important."

* * *

There was nothing like a good, old-fashioned adrenaline spike to push back the drowsy-sick feeling that came with pain meds on an empty stomach. The threat of having a house fall out from under you was a good way to kick that into high gear.

"_Sir, she has almost breached the garage door,_" JARVIS's voice rang out as Tony reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Fire up the Mark X then!" Tony shouted as he pushed through the glass door and into the lab. He half stumbled into the waiting suit and it close around him. Somehow, despite the looming danger just outside, he felt his nerves ease just a little inside the shell as the HUD jumped to life. "Let's go say hello."

He could feel the strain against his injuries as the suit lifted him up in the air, but the adrenaline shoved it towards the back of his mind well enough. "Open it up, J," he instructed and the large, secured door at the end of the ramp slid up. On the other side stood a part angry, part confused, and _definitely_ enhanced Ellen Mira. The early readings that flashed across his screen were off the charts and there was something very wrong with her eyes.

Tony flew into her, the suit protecting him, but as he lifted her off the ground and away from his door he could feel the heat coming off of her. He didn't get very far before a blast ripped out from her, slamming into him, and he dropped her as he was thrown off to the side and into the brush along the side of his driveway. He hit hard, slumping down in a bush with a groan.

"You brought it here. The tech you took from me," her voice cut through his daze and he blinked hard to see Mira moving towards him with purpose.

"I mean, technically, you took it from me first." He started to push himself up to his feet, but another wave of energy pulsed out from her and drove him back.

"Take me to it and you I won't send you and your home crashing into the ocean."

Tony stared at her through his helmet, the suit taking readings off of the energy signature and calculations flashed across his screen. Okay. Her power readings were heavy duty, but he thought he had something that could contain her, at least temporarily. The problem was holding her off long enough to call Rhodey and get him to bring it to them. He needed time. "Fine."

That caught her off guard. "Just like that?"

"Well," he drawled out. "First…."

Mira stared at him, the word hanging between them for a long moment. Then another. Then another. She rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to comment when the sound of something spinning through the air, immediately followed by her own yelp as the red, white, and blue shield slammed into her back. She flew forward and over Tony and the brush behind him.

He picked himself up and looked to where Cap stood barefoot on his driveway. "We gotta work on timing that right. It just doesn't have the same punch if you have to wait."

Cap shrugged. "Looked like it had plenty of punch to me." A loud howl of anger drew both of their attention to the newly upright Mira. "So how are we planning to, uh…"

"Contain her? I got that covered. Just give me a minute."

Steve looked at him like he was going to demand more than that, but something - be it trust or understanding that he didn't have time to make those kinds of demands before their angry guest was back within punching distance - pulled him back around to the impending fight and gave Tony the moment he needed to switch over to internal comms. "J, get me Rhodey."

There was a long moment, a couple of rings, and finally an irritable answer. "_No, I haven't got anything new for you yet. Aren't you supposed to be resting?_"

"Where are you?" A map flashed on his screen. "Nevermind. Got you. I need you to turn around and go to the old labs at the edge of Malibu."

"_The ones your dad opened in the 40's?_"

"Yeah. I store some stuff there. I need you to bring me something. JARVIS' sending you the details."

"_What are you -?_"

Rhodey's question was cut off by Tony's shout of surprise as he was suddenly dragged back into the fight, Mira's eyes a strange and eerie colour. She reached towards him, fingers glowing, and he only barely dodged out of the way. "Woh! Gotta go, Rhodey. Call Ito for an escort to speed things up."

"Forget about me?" Mira asked, her smile dangerous.

Tony risked a glance past her to see Cap picking himself up. Dazed, but shaking it off. "How could I? You're trying to destroy my house and kill my friend." She lashed out, power whipping from her fingers and he raised his arm, a small shield expanding from the armor to deflect it. He could feel the reverberation all the way through it. Fantastic. Broken ribs, broken foot, why not add a broken arm to it too? He leveled the opposite gauntlet and the repulsor beam hit her square in the chest, sending her tumbling.

She wasn't down for long, though, and he and Steve wound in and around her to exchange blows and deflection. They took turns, moving in sync like they had in New York. They had completely different techniques and skillsets, but somehow they complimented each other. Where one weakness began, the other filled in for it. She was quick, though, and the tech she'd somehow implanted herself with was giving her an edge against even Iron Man and Captain America.

"I wanna know what's making her tick, JARVIS."

"_Working on it, sir_."

"Enough," Mira hissed and power burst out like a tidal wave, sending Tony skidding backward and his armor sparked dangerously from the damage the blow inflicted. Mira turned back to Cap. The first blow knocked his shield to the side and Tony saw the readings spike dangerously as she reached out and pressed her hand against his chest.

He watched it like it was in slow motion. The power surge, Steve's eyes widening, and then the jolt of energy that passed through him, tossing him back like a ragdoll that didn't get up.

Mira turned a satisfied look at Tony. "Next."

* * *

**TBC**

**Notes**: These boys really just can't catch a break.

Well, I finally finished up the writing on this, so theoretically it shouldn't be more than a week or so between updates. Two more chapters after this one, so hang on tight. It's always a wild ride with these two ;)

**Next Time**: Steve and Tony work together to try to contain Mira.


	11. Hero

**Chapter Eleven: Hero **

If there was one thing that Tony had learned to count on with Steve Rogers, it was that the man just kept getting up. No matter the blow, no matter the challenge, there was something about that stubborn kid from Brooklyn that his father had loved so much that just wouldn't _stop_.

Not this time, though. Steve wasn't getting up. He was laid out on his back, the front of his white t-shirt burned from the attack and blood leaking through. Tony loosed a breath. "JARVIS?"

Vitals flashed across his monitor. "_He's alive, but unconscious_, _sir. Might I suggest that you -_"

Mira jumped into his line of sight, snarling and angry. She reminded him less of what must have been a brilliant scientist to have been able to conduct the research she had to get to this point and more of the creatures that had dropped down from the wormhole and into New York City a few months before with every passing second. Whatever she'd done to give herself these powers was changing her. Her attacks were becoming increasingly more vicious, and the close-in combat was not really what this particular suit was designed for. It performed better at a distance, which Mira didn't seem keen on letting him have easily.

Okay. Fine. Nothing said he had to play on her terms. He wasn't very good at doing that anyway.

One boot sputtered dangerously, but kicked in and he lifted off the ground, barely avoiding another attack that cut too close for his comfort. Then, all at once, information flashed across his screen. "_Read outs complete, sir_," JARVIS announced and Tony frowned. None of that looked good. She'd used herself as the experiment with the tech, implanting it in her arm, from the looks of it. It had grown from there, spreading and reaching out like tendrils. If he were to make a guess, he'd bet she never dreamed it would have gone this far. The bursts of energy were temporarily stabilizing her each time, but it wouldn't be long until one of those attacks ripped her apart. There was no telling how much damage it would inflict on the space around them or just how far that explosion would reach. It could be a few yards or it could take out the entire cliffside. Possibly worse. The fluctuating readings made it difficult, but he knew it wouldn't be good.

"Keep an eye on her, JARVIS. If she's going to blow, give me enough time to get her out over the ocean_._"

"_Sir, the suit may not withstand an explosion of that potential magnitude. The full diagnostics of -_"

"And you think my chances are better with my house crashing down on top of me?" Tony snapped. "Just do it."

"You afraid to come closer?" Mira taunted from the ground and Tony paused mid-air. He'd managed to move her out and away from the house, which was progress, but until Rhodey got there it was just a dangerous game of keepaway and keep-from-exploding as best as he could. With Cap down for the count, he was in this alone….. just like he usually was.

He switched his external speakers back on. "Don't guess it'll do any good to tell you that that tech you've pumped into your body is altering your brain chemistry and you're a walking timebomb, huh?"

Mira's eyes flashed a brighter shade of the eerie blue that they had been glowing since she'd arrived. "You're trying to distract me."

"Believe it or not, I'd rather save you."

"By luring me closer to the water?" she popped back. Altered state of mind or not, she was still aware of more than what was immediately in front of her. A vicious smile tilted her lips. "Why don't you come down here and we'll chat? As a scientist, you have to be curious."

Tony snorted, but his retort was cut off as she lashed out with a focused attack. He didn't have enough warning to avoid it, and it struck the boot that had been sputtering earlier, effectively killing the thruster in it. He yelped as he tilted off to the side, the remaining boot only serving to throw him off balance. He converted the power into the chest piece, the beam striking out as he landed hard. It met Mira's next attack midway and threw both of them in opposite directions.

"_Sir? Sir_!" JARVIS' voice echoed loudly, cutting through the ringing and the darkness that Tony hadn't realized that he'd sunk into. He blinked hard, alerts flashing brightly on his display, and suddenly she was on top of him.

Mira reached forward and ripped his mask from its place like it was nothing, pieces of the helmet going with it, and she pressed her opposite hand against his chest. "We all know an ARC reactor can be overloaded, but how much does it take?" she asked, her voice dangerously curious. He could hear the suit - his impenetrable suit - cracking under the pressure, and the reactor wouldn't be far behind it.

"JARVIS!" he shouted, hoping against hope that the earpiece that linked his voice commands to his AI hadn't gone flying with part of his helmet.

"_Deploying countermeasures_," JARVIS' voice rang in his ear and Tony could hear the suit shift at the shoulders and flares leapt out at her.

Mira jumped back, yelling and cursing against the burning hot fireworks as Tony struggled to pull himself to his feet. His ribs were screaming in protest and he didn't dare look down at the chest plate to see the damage. Not that he had to. "_The ARC reactor has sustained damage._"

"Need a bit more than that without visuals, J," Tony managed, a pained cough swallowing up what would have been the AI's name.

"_Power levels are at thirty-seven percent and dropping. Repairs will need to be made to the reactor to restore full functionality_."

"What about the suit?"

"_Right boot is offline. Unibeam is offline. HUD system is -"_

"Offline. Right. Got that when she ripped my mask off my face. Thanks. What's _online_? And I swear if you say flares..."

"_You did just used them._"

Every great once and awhile, JARVIS reminded him that he was, in fact, a computer program. It always seemed to come at the worst possible times. Mira was getting up and she looked pissed.

"_Repulsor beams are live, as are the missiles, though those may trigger a more final explosion from her._"

"Right," Tony growled.

"Hey!"

The shout caused Mira to whip around, clearing Tony's line of vision. Steve had made it to his feet further up the driveway and stood with one arm threaded through the straps on the back of his shield and the other wrapped protectively around his middle.

"You just don't know how to stay down, do you?" she growled.

"I've had a lot of practice with getting back up." That blue gaze flickered past her to meet Tony's own dark one. He was trying to convey something, but what, Tony wasn't sure. Then Mira started for him and Steve stepped just a little to his left. Oh. That was the plan. It just required not hitting Cap by accident without his targeting to rely on.

Tony lifted his gauntlet and fired, the first shot just a little too far to Mira's left. The second hit her and threw her forward.

Cap jumped out of the way fully and she stumbled towards and then onto a raised platform that had been pushed into the middle of the driveway. The walls went up, doming over her and she threw herself against them. Tony reached up to the comm in his ear. "JARVIS, are you connected to it?"

"_I am, sir_."

"Knock her out so she doesn't leave a hole where my house is, would ya?"

Gas filled the small containment unit and she snarled, the shouts not making it through the dome around her. Slowly she leaned against it, finally sliding down unconscious.

"You two look like shit."

Tony glanced over to Rhodey. He'd come through in bringing the portable holding cell from the old labs, not that Tony had had any doubts. Ito stood just off to the side, staring at it like he was still trying to wrap his mind around everything that had happened that night. To the right, looking only marginally steadier than he had a moment before, stood Captain America. "You okay?"

That same blue gaze snapped to him, but this time it was accompanied by the smallest of smiles. "I'm a fast healer. How was that for better timing?"

Tony chuckled, shaking his head. "You know I had no idea what you were going for until I saw it, right?"

"I'm just glad you didn't shoot me."

"I'm not a bad shot. Obviously."

Rhodey snorted off to the side. "Don't let him bullshit you, Rogers. I've been to the range with him."

"Oh c'mon! I'm not bad."

"You're also not great for a man that _designs_ weapons," his oldest friend argued.

"Designed."

"Yeah, what's that you're wearing?"

Ito looked between the three of them and to the cage where the gas had thinned out. "How long is she going to be out?"

"A few hours."

He nodded slowly. "I'll have my people -"

"Oh no," Tony cut him off. "Remember what happened last time? No, we've got this covered." He touched the comm in his ear. "Hey, J. Tell Fury I've got a present for him, but he has to come pick it up in the next… what? Two hours or so? Call it one. They have people out this way."

"_Placing the call now, sir._ _Might I suggest -?_"

"Can't it wait?" Tony grumbled, groping for the manual release on his suit. The pressure against his chest from the damaged suit on already-battered ribs was making in harder and harder to breathe. He found the switch and turned it, the Mark X opening up to release him.

"Tony?"

He turned towards Steve's strangely worried voice and found an equally worried expression. The question never made it off his tongue as he pitched forward, darkness swallowing him up without warning.

* * *

He'd known something was wrong, but he hadn't expected him to pass out like that. No one had, or someone would have been closer to try to catch him. Instead Tony Stark fell hard out of his Iron Man suit and crumpled to the concrete driveway.

Colonel Rhodes got to him first, going to a knee next to him and checking his vitals carefully. "Did he take any other hard hits?"

It took Steve half a second longer than it should have to realize the question was directed at him. "It was one hard hit after another."

Rhodes reached forward, plucking the earpiece from Tony's ear and fitting it against his own. "Jarvis? Hey. Can you tell me what's….?" There was a long pause as he listened to the computer and Steve exchanged a brief look with Ito, neither quite sure what was happening. "Right," Rhodes answered. "Okay…. Okay, we can work with that. This things secure, right? She's not going anywhere?"

Steve quirked an eyebrow at that and Rhodes nodded as if Jarvis could see that. His dark gaze darted up to meet Steve's. "You in any shape to help me get him up?"

"Yeah," Steve managed, feeling the healing - but certainly not healed - injury twinge painfully as he bent over to help Rhodes haul a limp Tony Stark up off the driveway.

Ito held back and Rhodes turned back over his shoulder. "C'mon."

"Someone should stay with her."

"In all the years I've known Tony, I've learned to trust the tech to do what he designed it to do. She's not going anywhere."

He didn't stir as they moved him up the driveway and to the doors. Rhodes murmured "couch" to direct their aim once they were in and they eased him down. Steve turned as the other man started towards the stairs. "What did Jarvis say?"

Rhodes motioned for a moment as he jogged down the stairs, leaving Steve and Ito with an unconscious Tony. Steve eased down on the long couch next to his head, grimacing as he did.

"You're hurt."

He looked up to Ito. "I'm fine."

"You don't look it."

He winced, fingers probing the burned material of his t-shirt that had been splattered blood. "I… heal pretty quickly."

"It doesn't matter how quickly you heal, you need medical attention."

"I don't." He peeled back the tattered shirt to show dried blood over an already-closed wound. "I don't know how much about how I became Captain America was released to the public but….. Back in the war I was given a serum. It enhanced cell regeneration and healing. By the time the sun comes up, I'll be fine."

Ito was staring by this point. "I'll be damned…. They came up with that in the 40's? And they can't cure the common cold?"

"They killed the man that came up with the serum. Tony's dad worked on the project, but he didn't know how to reproduce that part of it."

"I knew him," Ito said quietly. "Howard Stark. I met him, anyway. Maybe… half a dozen times? His wife was very active in fundraising for various organizations, including the LAPD."

Steve's lips tugged just a little as the Howard that he'd known, all dark hair and excitable expression mixed with brilliance came to mind. "He was a good man."

"So some said. I just saw a man with a lot of money that set his kid up to think there were no consequences for anything he did."

There was a long moment and Steve pursed his lips together as he looked for the right words. "The Howard that I knew was…. young and fearless, but it made him brave. He was the only one willing to fly my team into some parts of nazi-occupied Europe. Tony's the same way. It's not that he doesn't know there are consequences - and don't get me wrong. He comes across that way - but he pushes past the dangers when other people won't. And that protects people."

"There are other people to do that," Ito said quietly.

"And I guess that's what makes him a hero."

He heard the other man loose a soft breath. "Maybe."

Footsteps echoed against the steps leading up from Tony's workshop and Rhodes appeared at the top. In his hand he held what looked like a duplicate to Tony's ARC reactor.

Steve took a step back as the other man came in and he watched him peel back Tony's shirt to reveal a flittering, damaged reactor in its place. Rhodes knew what to do, twisting it so that it clicked out and released, and he fitted the other one into the open socket that was left behind. It fit snuggly and clicked. Tony jolted, but his eyes didn't open. A long moment passed, then another, leaving three men unable to breathe as they waited for a set of brown eyes to open.

* * *

**TBC**

**Notes**: I feel like the last two to three chapters took so much longer than everything else... probably because this was never actually meant to have a big bad in it lol

It was so funny watching this story grow from Steve crashing date night to them having to work together to keep him around for a bit longer and then suddenly they were fighting a super villain. Oops? I do love writing for this broship though. It's always a lot of fun :D

**Next Time**: The boys finally catch some time to breathe and Pepper makes it home.


	12. See You In New York

**Chapter Twelve: See You in New York**

Three men stood waiting, no one breathing. Steve found his own stomach tied up in knots, the idea of Tony not pulling through to the next day, the next year, or anything that followed unacceptable. After everything he'd been through something in him had been hesitant to connect in the way he had before. Bucky. Losing him had left a scar deeper than any physical attack could, but standing there in Howard's son's home while the would-be younger man fought for his life, he felt the same kind of tug that he had when he'd willed himself to have hope that Bucky was alive in Hydra custody. He needed that hope to move forward. He couldn't lose this man. He couldn't lose his friend.

Finally, after what seemed like a lengthy eternity, brown eyes sluggishly opened. "Hey."

"Hey back," Rhodes answered. "How're you feeling?"

"Like shards of shrapnel have been clawing through a little closer to my heart."

"Not as close as you might think," the Air Force colonel assured him. "I gotcha, Tones."

"Always," Tony breathed and his gaze eased around to Steve and cleared his throat. "What about you? You went down hard and stayed down. Didn't think that really happens."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you sound worried," Steve teased lightly.

"Good thing you know better," Tony managed to chuckle. His hand went to his chest and he grimaced. "How long was I out? Please tell me you didn't bring her inside."

"_Ms Mira is still safely unconscious in the containment unit_," Jarvis announced.

"Outside," Rhodes confirmed.

"Exactly what do you plan to do with her now?" Ito asked carefully, and he looked like he was readying himself to hate whatever answer tumbled out of Tony's mouth.

The younger man quirked an eyebrow. "Well she's not leaving with you," he answered as he started to pull himself up to sit on the couch. Steve shot Rhodes a questioning look, but was waved off.

"You don't have the authority to keep her," Ito shot back and Tony rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Guess it's good I don't plan to." He stood with that, a little unsteady, and started limping his way slowly towards the door.

"Has he ever been big on sharing his plans?" Steve asked, drawing Rhodes' attention to him.

"Not in the nearly thirty years I've known him."

* * *

It took SHIELD nearly two hours before they showed up. While that gave Tony the time to make sure that JARVIS had gotten all the readings they'd need and successfully saved the data to his private servers, he was working on an energy deficit by the time Fury and his people had arrived.

And the SHIELD Director himself did show up, leaving Ito gawking as they hauled Ellen Mira up and onto the tricked out helicopter that they'd arrived in. Introductions were made in passing, Tony too exhausted to do much more than promise that JARVIS was already transferring all necessary data over to SHIELD so that they would be prepared to handle her. The portable containment unit would hold her until Tony could whip up something more permanent for them and, potentially, even reverse the effects of the tech.

That said, he'd all but kicked Fury and Ito both out. The sun was starting to climb up over the horizon and he wasn't going to be on his feet long. It was bad enough that there was anyone around to see him stumbling and limping his way towards the stairs, but he'd be damned if it were either of them. Trust only went so far, and Cap's assessment may have been right when he said Tony's motto was never let them see you bleed.

Neither Rhodey or Steve tried to stop him as he made his way upstairs. The most he got was Cap asking if he was good and he gave him a thumbs up before winding his way around and to the top of the stairs above the waterfall and across to his bedroom.

His bed had never felt quite so comfortable. He sank down into it, never having managed to get out of his shorts and tank top that he'd been sleeping in earlier - his robe discarded in his workshop when he'd jumped into the suit - and buried his nose in the nearest pillow. It still smelled like Pepper.

Tony slept the better part of the day. The sun was on its way down the next time he remembered opening his eyes. He got up, showered, and was planning to go downstairs for whatever food he could find, but somehow found himself crawling back into bed. It was nine the next morning before he woke up again.

Voices drifted up from the kitchen as he eased his way down, his entire body still in full protest of the battering it had received. He rounded into it to find Steve leaned casually against the island in the middle of the kitchen and chatting with a sight for sore eyes. "Hey, Pep. When'd you get in?" he greeted.

She turned and those beautiful blue eyes of hers lit up as she set the spoon she'd been using to stir batter down and crossed the space between them. "Hey. You're awake."

He reached out for her as she approached,pulling her closer and into a kiss. "I am. Is it Saturday already?"

"Friday. I came home early." She held up a hand as he started to protest. "Deal's secure and everything's set."

Tony offered her a lopsided smile. "Never has any doubts."

Pepper's own smile was soft and somehow he was feeling better already, even as she gave his hand a squeeze and returned to her breakfast prep. He eased his way over to join them. He looked to Steve who had ducked his head a little as if he were trying to give them as much privacy as he could without leaving the room. Tony hopped up so that he was sitting in the counter next to him. "How're you feeling after getting tossed around like a rag doll?"

"Amazing what a little downtime can do," Cap answered lightly.

Tony grinned. "I mean, you are on vacation right?"

That earned him a chuckle and eye roll before that gaze swept him up and down on his perch. "You have a few chairs around, you know."

"He likes to pretend that he's tall," Pepper popped off as she started heaping batter into the waffle iron.

"Rude."

"Also true."

Tony shrugged, regretting the action almost instantly as the pain radiated down through his body. He turned back to the blond who looked thoroughly amused by their banter and a whole lot more relaxed than he had been when he first arrived. "So how long we have you for, Cap?"

"I thought I'd leave out early afternoon. Maybe make it to San Francisco before it gets too late."

"You're leaving already?" Pepper asked, her tone a little put out as she shifted the waffle to a plate and handed it to him. She turned a look on Tony, the silent question of if he wanted one met with an enthusiastic nod.

"It's been… a wild ride, but I should let you two have some downtime." His lips tilted up at the corners. "Anyway, I'll be seeing more of both of you once the tower repairs are finished. If the offer still stands."

"I won't be there full time, but you should have a room waiting by the time you get back to New York," Tony answered. "Just pick up that phone I know you know how to use."

"I was thinking about sending a carrier pigeon."

"Was that a joke? You hear that, Pep? He thinks he's funny."

Cap snorted as he took a bite of his waffle, Pepper handing the next one to Tony before starting in on her own. Rhodey called towards the end of breakfast, checking in and apparently he'd been saddled with coordinating with SHIELD for the transfer since Tony had been useless for the last twenty-four hours or so. All in all, it was the calm after the storm. One that they'd earned tenfold.

* * *

It had been a long time since he'd slept nearly that much in one stretch and he'd forgotten how disorienting it could be. The day started later and he wasn't quite sure if the sluggishness came from his brain taking a while to wake up or whatever had caused the lengthy nap in the first place. He was inclined to think it was the latter on that particular occasion.

He thought the pain might have faded a little after crashing out for as long as he did. That or Tony was just distracted by Pepper's stories from London and Cap's description of his plan for the sojourn back to New York City.

"Where are you staying in San Francisco?" Tony asked from his place curled into a chair in the guest bedroom that Cap had been staying in.

"I don't know yet. I'll find a… what do you call them? Holiday Inn?"

Tony turned up his nose. "You don't want to stay there."

"I stayed at a couple of them. They're a chain, I guess?"

"They've been around forever."

Steve tugged at the strap on his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "New to me."

"There's a really nice one on the oceanfront. Pep'll know the name. It's -"

"Probably out of my price range, Tony." He started out the door, grabbing his shield that was leaning against the wall on his way out, and Tony dragged himself up to his feet to follow.

"I know the owner."

"Of the hotel you can't remember the name of?"

"Or you could just stay here another couple of days."

Well that had slipped out without him really meaning for it to. Ah well. No taking it back now. Not that he thought he really wanted to.

He caught the small smirk that tilted the taller man's lips before he said, "I would, but it might make it hard to pop your question to Pepper."

"Pop what question to Pepper?"

Tony's head snapped around to where his girlfriend was standing in the hall, one ginger eyebrow quirked upward and an expectant look on her face. He flashed her an innocent grin. "Pep. Perfect. What was the name of that hotel right off the water in San Francisco?"

She wasn't fooled for a second and his smile only got him so far with the woman that knew him better than anyone else, so he followed Cap down to the garage where they'd stored his bike, watching him fit his bag and shield to it with practiced ease. Finally, once everything was in place, he turned back around. The blond stood there for a long moment, studying him. Finally he pulled in a breath and stuck his hand out awkwardly. "Thank you, Tony."

It took half a beat longer than it probably should have for Tony to realize he was trying to shake his hand. "Says the man that backed me up the last few days," he chuckled as he reached to meet him. "It was good to have you here, Cap."

"I'm glad I came."

"Even if we both nearly got blown sky high?"

He ducked his head a little. "I'm not… after everything that's happened… It's good to know I've got a friend I can trust."

Tony stared at him for a long moment before running a hand back through his hair, the flippant statement that came immediately to his lips shoved back for a more honest one, dangerous as that could be. "Same with you, Cap. I'll see you in New York."

"Maybe with fewer explosions?"

"A guy can dream, right?"

The two shared a chuckle and Steve grabbed for his helmet, fitting it on and hopping on the bike. He waved, and as Tony returned it he felt Pepper approach from behind, echoing the same motion. She slid an arm around the small of his back and they watched as the man Tony's dad hadn't shut up about sped out of his garage.

"Glad he came?" she asked softly.

"Yeah."

"Good." She turned and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Now what question were going to ask?"

Tony sighed. "You know… I had the whole thing planned out perfectly before he dropped in on date night."

"All of what planned, Tony?" Pepper asked, genuinely looking confused now.

Screw it. He couldn't wait any longer. "Will you move in?"

She blinked hard. "Move… are you sure?"

The brief flash of excitement that had flushed through him with the question immediately dissipated. "Only if you want to..."

"I just know how you are. You're a little particular about your space." A small, soft smile tugged at her lips. "You know you'd need to clean some of the closet out right?"

"I mean, there's plenty of closet space in the guest rooms…." She shot him a look. "... for me to put my stuff in to make room for yours."

"Do you really want me to?"

"I just know I want you with me."

Her smile broadened and she leaned in, her fingers ghosting along the side of his face as he met her halfway for a kiss. "Should I take that as a yes?" he mumbled against her lips and felt her laugh, leaning in to deep the kiss a little more.

Things had changed since the Battle of New York, and with every day they seemed to weigh on him a little more, but his little circle of people that he loved and trusted was growing and deepening, despite the scars left on his soul. Maybe, just maybe, he'd come out of this alright after all.

* * *

**End**

**Notes**: And so ends the fic that I never meant to write in the first place. You know, twelve chapters and thousands of words later. What can I say, I can't say no to Tony and Steve reluctant bromance :P

I don't have any immediate plans on another multi chapter with these two coming, but I will start posting a script I wrote for nano this year from a project tenetively titled the MIT Years that's an admitted pipe dream of a project that I'd love to pitch to Disney+ someday. I wanted to see if I could get an hour-long episode from plot points to finished first draft all within the month of November and I did, so I'll start sharing that soon. I also have some Howard Stark (often with Steve Rogers and/or Peggy Carter with him) one shots that I've been working on. The first is Midnight Oil and that's up. I'm poking at another one in my rare free moments these days.

Thank you, everyone, for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.


End file.
